is said by Dennis Wasser, one of Jamie McCourt’s attorneys:
Photo from TMZ
“The chances of a settlement always get better as the case goes on. Both sides get pounded, and they get tired.”
Jamie is getting her a$$ handed to her.
There will be a settlement soon!
Mannywood and Mannymania – It was fun for a season!
In 2008, Manny arrived in LA and proceeded to take the Dodgers on his back and carry them to the playoffs. In 2009, he became a distraction, but was still a cog in the Dodger machine. However, this year it was his inability to stay off the DL that cost the Dodgers their chance for a record three years in the post-season. That, and Raffy’s extended stays there as well.
What happened this year was exactly what I feared when the Dodgers signed Manny for two years – and some people wanted the Dodgers to ink him for five? Manny may be productive for a couple of more years as a DH, but his time in LA had expired. I am sure Joe wasn’t playing him at the request of Ned to keep Manny healthy, but I doubt that Joe had to be prodded. Manny was still being Manny. Sometimes he didn’t hustle, other times he did. His fielding was the major concern and he didn’t appear to have fun anymore. Let’s face it, after his 50 game suspension, he was really never the same hitter – he had flashes, but he was not the difference-maker he once was. It was time for him to go and when the Dodgers had someone (ChiSox) step forward, his fate was sealed.
When he got thrown out of the game with the bases loaded yesterday because some Ignorant Savage named Gary Cederstrom, behind the plate called a pitch that was 8″ outside a strike, and Manny dared question him, I thought that Manny got himself ejected on purpose. However, after further review, I really saw no justification, other than the umpire was an Ignorant Savage! I won’t go into some diatribe about the umpires, but I will say that was over-reaction.
Speaking of over-reaction, the opposite was true of Joe Torre. He just sat there while Manny was ejected, serving out his time as Dodger Skipper barely going through the motions. I will be glad when this season is over and he is gone, hopefully with all the rest of the coaches. FREE TIM WALLACH!
The McCourt Divorce Trial Starts today and it should be interesting, unless a settlement is reached along the way. If one side or the other begins to feel the pinch, they will be motivated to settle. You just never know how a trail will go.
Me, I’ve got better things to thing about, like:
A week ago, the Dodgers were dead and buried.
Are They?
Everyone said it. I said it! That didn’t make it true.
There was one difference: I have always maintained that this team had the talent to win it all.
I felt that they were dramatically under-performing. It too much to ask them to win the division, but the Wild Card spot is realistic. This team has too much talent to have played so poorly. Sometimes baseball is a game of streaks and these guys have shown they are nothing if not streaky! I may have thrown dirt on their grave too soon. Not only do I think they can win the Wild Card, but I think they could be very difficult for other teams in the playoffs… providing they stay healthy.
It’s a lot to ask! Manny needs to stay healthy and Raffy needs to stay healthy. Raffy was on his way to a career year. Can he keep injury free? I would doubt it… but you never know! They could be helped by some call-ups in September, namely RDLR, AJ, IDJ2, Flash’s kid, X-Man and another one or two role players, and they would have to be really, really lucky, but it could happen. Again, I will assert that the team has the talent. Now, all they HAVE to do is win, Baby!
What happens against the Rockies will determine the Dodgers season. They have until Tuesday to decide what to do with Manny. If they sweep the Rockies (anything short of that won’t work), then it’s on, and Manny will stay in LA the rest of the season. This team has some vets who have been there, done that, and can deliver in the clutch – Theriot, Podsednik, Belliard, Johnson, Ausmus, Barajas, Blake, Manny, Raffy, et al.
Factor in that Kemp, Ethier and Loney are due to get hot and the Dodgers could become an offensive juggernaut!
The fat lady ain’t singing!
It’s time to fish, not cut bait!
Will it happen? I don’t know!
Can it happen? Yes, it can!
Could these be Destiny’s Dodgers?
This just in from TMZ:
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt claims his wife, Jamie McCourt, diabolically tried to strong-arm him into showing his love by giving her a piece of the team — at the same time she was secretly consulting divorce lawyers.
In Frank’s legal brief, obtained by TMZ, the Dodgers owner maintains his wife signed over her interest in the team, in return for getting sole ownership of more than $100 million in homes.
Frank claims in legal papers Jamie never wanted to buy the Dodgers in the first place. According to Frank, Jamie felt buying the team in 2004 was a “risky business venture,” because the Dodgers had been losing millions and the deal was insanely leveraged.
Frank says Jamie — a lawyer who has drafted marital agreements herself — was more than happy to sign the marital property agreement that gave Frank the team and gave her all the homes.
But fast forward to 2008 … the Dodgers became profitable while the value of real estate began plummeting. According to the docs, Jamie came to Frank with a proposal: “If we’re going to be life partners, we’re going to be business partners.” Frank says Jamie wanted him to give her half interest in the Dodgers but she would keep most of the homes herself. Frank smelled a rat and said no.
Frank claims Jamie was stricken with celebrity-itus and wanted a piece of the team, calling it “her ticket to become the mayor of Los Angeles, the Governor of California, and maybe even the President of the United States. To create the fairytale of ‘Brand Jamie,’ she recognized she had to rewrite history.”
Tune in to TMZ on TV weekdays Monday through Friday (check http://www.tmz.com/tmztv/ for syndicated/local listings)
I think you are starting to get a glimpse of what Frank’s case is going to look like, and Frankly (no pun intended), Jamie is probably going to be toast!
Before this season started and “The Divorce” was in full swing, many readers and fans held Arte Moreno up is as an ideal owner, and held Frank
McCourt up as a “scumbag owner.” Now, on August 24, 2010, both Dodgers and Angels fans find themselves in just about the same predicament: The Dodgers are one game over .500 and out of the pennant race (and wild card race), and the Angels are one game below .500 and out of the pennant race for all practical purposes.
It could happen to anyone.
The Yankees have spent over $2 billion on payroll since 2000 and have only one World Series Championship to show for it.
It could happen top anyone.
The Red Sox, whose GM is touted as among the smartest in baseball and have a payroll of over $160 million are also out of it for all practical purposes.
It could happen to anyone.
That’s what losers say. I prefer to say that while it can happen to anyone, the good teams make sure that it doesn’t happen to them again.
Nothing is so constant as change and unless the Dodgers are insane (insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results), they need to make some big changes. While those changes can’t all me made immediately, the white flag needs to be raised and the purge needs to begin. 12 games have been overcame in less time, but not with this team. This is a team whose biggest question going into the season was lack of starting pitching. Even the naysayers who predicted a .500 record said they didn’t doubt that the team would score runs.
Well, they haven’t scored – at least on the field! Since the All-Star break the Dodgers have averaged about 3 runs a game. That in itself, is horrible, but then the bullpen imploded and blew nearly every winnable game. Surprisingly, the starting pitching has been solid. The lack of hitting and lack of a bullpen has killed the Dodgers. I also think there is one other factor: The Manager and Coaches Have Lost This Team!
When it happened, I don’t know.
How it happened, I don’t know.
Look, Joe Torre is nor a cerebral manager. He is a Hall-Of-Famer, but sometimes being a Hall-of-Famer is just being in the right place at the right time. Maybe Joe Torre was the perfect manager for the Yankees and their big contracts and big egos and the bigger pressures of playing in NY. I am not going to take away his HOF status, but this team has quit on him.
Speaking of being in the right place at the right time, I wonder if we would look at Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks differently if Dan Mario had played for the 49′ers with All-Pros 2 or 3 deep at every position and an offensive genius as a coach, and Joe Montana had played for the Dolphins with no running game and few All-Pros. Time and place are everything.
Ned Colletti is part of the problem. He has done some very good things and also some very bad things in his tenure. I believe he deserves another year, but the last time the Dodgers had such a disappointing year, both the GM (Paul DePodesta) and the Manager (Jim Tracy) were shown the door. That’s possible here as well, but I would give Ned another year, because he seems to learn from his mistakes, James McDoanld and Blake DeWitt notwithstanding. In my opinion, this year is a bigger disappointment, because of the level of talent on this team.
Joe Torre and Company need to be shown the door. We don’t need a manager who is ineffective as a hitting coach, and our pitching needs a fresh approach. The new manager needs to be a younger guy (in my opinion) and needs to be someone who can “work a room.” He needs to be a motivator, a disciplinarian and a tactician. Could that guy be our backup catcher? Maybe. Maybe not!
I just know that change must come. How sweeping it is needs to be determined soon. At this juncture, Ned should make sure that Manny, Blake, Kuroda, Lilly, Theriot, Podsednik and Broxton are all on waivers. The Dodgers could get lucky on one or two of them.
Russ Martin may never return and Loney, Kemp and Ethier have not blossomed as they should have. It could happen to anyone is something that I will not accept as an excuse.
It’s time to turn the page!
I find this so crazy that I’ve got to start a new post for this.
John Tyler Photo via Baseball America
On August 11, 2010, Marc Lancaster of Fanhouse reported this:
Remember when the Dodgers were one of baseball’s most respected franchises? Yeah, it’s difficult to take them too seriously these days given some of the shenanigans in which they have participated the last few years under the auspices of the McCourts.
Well, it appears they’re at it again. When the Dodgers used their first-round pick on Texas high school pitcher Zach Lee back in June, just about everyone immediately pegged it as a cost-saving move, given that Lee was a mortal lock to attend college at LSU. The Los Angeles front office said all the right things at the time, but if this story is to be believed, drafting Lee was exactly what it seemed: L.A. picking a guy it knew wouldn’t sign, thus saving a few million this year and picking up a compensatory pick in next year’s draft — when more cash might be available at Chavez Ravine — for good measure.
Lee was one of the top quarterback recruits in the country and has been in Baton Rouge since the day after the draft, apparently focused on nothing but preparing for the upcoming football season. That probably would have been his focus anyway, but it helps that, according to Lee, he hasn’t heard from the Dodgers since draft day.
“I haven’t really heard anything from them,” Lee said. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m here to stay until something else happens. And I don’t really see it happening.”
Like lots of Frank McCourt haters here, Lancaster was castigating McCourt for taking a draft pick that he had no intention of signing. Then out of the clear blue sky, the Dodgers signed Zach Lee for a whopping $5.25 mil. So, there is joy in Dodgertown, right? Wrong! The Frank McCourt haters, who of course are the same people who said he wouldn’t spend money to sign draft picks, let alone Zach Lee, now are spinning a different story, and say that McCourt decided to overpay by $3 or 4 million as a PR move. These people may be smart, but their hatred of Frank McCourt has overridden their common sense, and all I can say is that’s about the lamest thing I have heard in a long time. Oh, and they are saying that the Dodgers overpaid for a player who really wasn’t that good anyway – that he wasn’t Top-of-the-Draft material. WOW!
Let me address that last part first. MLB.com had this to say about Zach Lee:
With above-average to plus stuff across the board — fastball, slider, changeup — good command and tremendous athleticsm, Lee should be one of the high school arms being mentioned up close to the top of the Draft, or at least on a short list of top high school arms. If he’s not, it’s largely because of one thing: signability.
Jim Callis of Baseball America said this:
Remember, bonuses are based on talent and leverage. Lee had more leverage than just about any player in this draft, because he’s a gifted pitcher who was also a top quarterback. You could make a case that Lee was the second-best high school pitcher in this draft behind Jameson Taillon. If money weren’t a factor, I bet he would have gone 10-15 picks higher in the draft.
When asked how he compared to Kershaw and Billingsley, Callis said:
Behind Kershaw and ahead of Billingsley. Lee is a potential frontline starter. Projectable, athletic righthander with sharp stuff.
BA went on to name the Dodgers winners in the draft, not just because of Lee, but because of their other signings as well, some of which were paid significantly well over MLB slotting.
Tallion went #2 in the draft and got $6.25 mil, but he did not have the leverage Lee did. So, if the Dodgers wanted to make a good PR move, why draft the guy who was deemed the most unsignable? Why not draft a guy like the Angels or Giants or Rockies and pay about $1.4 to $2.3 mil? McCheap could have saved $3 or so mil. It was a big risk to draft Lee and it did take over $5 mil. They didn’t draft Lee because they wanted good PR – they drafted Lee because he was a Top 10 talent who they could get at #28 in the draft. That was a smart move, not a PR move. Get 20 good knowledgeable baseball fans in a room and spin that story on them and they will laugh you out of the room!
But the McCourt bashers, who would have bashed McCourt if he didn’t sign Lee, now bash him because he did sign him. You guys are just never wrong. You always get it right no matter what Frank does. It just find it so pathetic that everything he does has to be explained in a negative light. I don’t particularly like the guy, but Lee was drafted to be signed and you McCourt bashers were piling on that the Dodgers would not sign Lee, and now that they have, they only did it for the PR? Come on. You have to be smarter than that!
The Dodgers drafted Zach Lee because he was probably the 2nd best high school pitcher in the draft and you will probably see him at a Ravine near you around 2012!
Of course, anything is possible, but being 11 games out of first place on August 17th is not a good position to be in. It’s highly unlikely that the
Dodgers can advance to the playoffs for the third straight year. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the not the least of which is the disconnect between the coaches and the players. Joe Torre and Company are not known for being brilliant strategists, and that issue was readily exposed this season. In my opinion, none of the coaching staff should be back. There needs to be a clean sweep. I would give Ned Colletti one more year. I think he has learned a lot, but I still think giving up James McDonald for Dotel was a bonehead move. I believe that James McDonald IS BETTER RIGHT NOW than Octavio Dotel. Giving up Santana was a little more understandable (and the jury is out on that one – I’m not saying it was smart), but McDonald was boneheaded! I liked Blake DeWitt, but that wasn’t a big deal. The Dodgers do have to decide what to do with Theriot and Lilly however.
Now, since the Dodgers are effectively out of the race, what happens over the next two weeks will help define their future. Contrary to the naysayers, who said McCourt wouldn’t spend big on the draft, the Dodgers did just that and broke the bank to sign Zach Lee. As Jared mentioned, those of you who doubted Logan White’s veracity should be ashamed! If the Dodgers had offered arbitration to Wolf or Hudson, and one (or both) had accepted, there would have been no Zach Lee signing, and to those who said that they would not have accepted arbitration, I say: ”You also said McCourt would not pay money for draftees – you have no credibility!”
Now, I freely admit that Frank McCourt has some problems and I think he really has taken too much money from the Dodgers and that his lifestyle is too decadent, but I don’t have all the inside info. That’s not something anyone has. I also see all the things he has accomplished and I believe Dodger Fans have an owner who is in it for the long haul. ”The Divorce” looms large and will go a long in determining the Dodgers future. It will be interesting as to what happens, but I believe Frank is in the “drivers’ seat.” That is speculation on my part and I won’t spend much time saying much more because speculation is not worth ZIP! We just have to wait and see what happens.
Evidently the Dodgers just signed Zach Lee for $5.25 mil according to multiple sources.
To show you what they thought of Zach Lee, they paid Clayton Kershaw $2.7 mil.
I guess that makes all the morons who thought the Dodgers didn’t sign Hudson and Wolf because they didn’t want to pay draft picks, look like… well morons!
And they paid 4 times the slot to Pederson!
We have all heard the term “Little Man Syndrome” used in connection with someone who might try to overcompensate for a lack of physical stature in some other fashion. I think that just
the opposite is true in the case of Jon Broxton, and in a minute I will explain why.
But first, let me be the first to say that it pains me very much to see Roxton blow games. I wish I would be eating my words, much like Andre Ethier stepped up and made me eat my words after I called him out for being a “soft hitter” (a nickname which he now admits was valid at the time). Andre Ethier was soft, and turned the tables to become a clutch hitter. I would like to differentiate between Roxton and Ethier, however: I never did say that Ethier would always be soft. I just said that he WAS soft. It could be different with J-ROX, because I suspect that he could always be “soft” as a (c)loser.
Before you label me a”hater” as many have, let me point out that I have had this same opinion of JB during the times he was “lights out” as well as when he was “lit up.” I have urged the Dodgers to trade him for three years, because I believe that he has “Big Man Syndrome” and simply cannot stand the pressure of tight games and big stages. It’s possible that he could adapt and become that clutch closer every team craves, but here’s why I suspect he won’t make it there. It’s Big Man Syndrome.” Jon is a gentle giant. He is a mountain of a man. He is a horse. He could break me in half with one hand behind his back. Well, that last one is probably not true, because I don’t think he possesses the mean streak that I do.
Because he is so big, so bad and so strong, Jon has been told all his life “Don’t hurt him.” ”Be careful – he’s a lot smaller than you.” ”Now Jon, you have to watch out how you behave around those smaller boys.” And as he get bigger and stronger, he was told that more and more, and when he started to be able to throw 80 MPH, 85 MPH, 90 MPH, 95 MPH and finally 100 MPH he was able to blow those boys away, without pitching inside, because after all, he was bigger and stronger than they were, and had to be careful. Jon is a genuinely nice guy. A guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Jon is a guy who could break you in half, but wouldn’t, because he was afraid of hurting someone. He has been told that all his life.
That’s probably an excellent quality in a human being, but it’s a horrible quality for a closer. A closer is supposed to cut out your heart and feed it to you. Jon Broxton can’t stand the sight of blood. Jon doesn’t want to hurt anyone. A closer has to have the guts of a cat burglar. Jon Broxton is too nice to have ever developed anything like that. A closer has to be a cold-blooded killer. Jon Broxton is as nice a guy you could ever meet. He’s the kind of guy you’d love your daughter to bring home.
In a nutshell, Jon Broxton is a very good human being, but he’s a bad closer. He cares about other people too much! Some people say he needs another pitch, and maybe that would be nice, but I think he needs a heart transplant. Find a cat bugler and transplant that heart into him. Maybe a serial killer’s heart would work too. Jon Broxton doesn’t need a new pitch – he needs to pitch inside on a regular basis, and he knows that he might hurt or even kill someone if he did that, and has has been trained since childhood that “you are bigger and stronger than those boys, don’t hurt them, Jon.”
Jon Broxton is a gentle giant, He’s probably a hell of a man, but he’s not a closer. I know his stats are very good, but I can smell his fear of hurting someone. Maybe you think I’m crazy… and that’s OK. But, I am right.
The Dodgers should have traded Cheryl and Roxton last year. Cheryl will walk with no compensation this year (hopefully) and Roxton’s market is smaller than it once was. Kenley Jansen evidently has the guts of a serial killer. Put him in there and let him learn. Jon Broxton needs to be gone by Opening Day.
Here’s a list of others who should also be gone by then:
Maybe Brox would be better at home. Would the ATL pony up for him?
I know that’s what it is. 
I am just totally irrational about Jon Roxton.
Even after his latest meltdown, he is the best there is.
It wasn’t his fault anyway.
Somebody blew a DP.
Not his fault.
It can happen to any loser.
After all, the stats prove it.
It must be Joe Torre’s fault!
Yeah, that’s the ticket. Joe rested him (pick one: not enough or too much).
Look at the stats, Roxton is great.
He is awesome.
I am just totally irrational to call him Roxton (for the uninitiated, I removed the first letter of his last name and the first letter of his title, so he is now Loser Roxton).
Yeah, that’s right – you know it all. I’m the dummy!
I used to get ragged on for calling Andre Ethier a soft hitter.
Lots of you told me that he was NOT soft, and he isn’t now, but he was then.
You continued to argue with me that he never was soft, but I just heard him admit last week that he was a soft few years ago. Now what?
You have been telling me that Broxton is a Closer and I have been telling you for three years that Roxton is Loser.
… but I’m irrational.
Like a fox!
Jason Repko is OPS’ing 1.002 in Minnesota after 57 AB’s this season. He has 3 HR and is hitting .317. When he was with the Dodgers, he could barely break .200! The Dodgers as
a team are hitting like Jason Repko did when he was a Dodger. Is that an indictment against the Dodgers. I’ll respond with a resounding YES! I don’t know what’s going on in the Dodgers farm system, but I do know that many hitters on all levels are underperforming. This is readily apparent on the major league level where the Dodgers have been in a hitting malaise for an extended period of time, even though they have two (count ‘em, two) hitting coaches.
I am a businessman. I deal in results. No excuses. Your produce is what it is. Produce or you are gone. It’s a simple mantra. It should apply to the Dodgers. Why can Jason Repko leave the Dodgers and hit like Babe Ruth? I know that it’s a small sampling and that 57 AB’s is nothing, but Jason Repko never looked like that as a Dodger.
The problem is deeper than Mattingly and Pentland. It permeates the Dodger Farm System. Heads need to roll – this type of result is not acceptable.
By the way, those who scolded me for wanting Adrian Beltre back (you know who you are), are looking pretty silly right about now. Adrian’s line this year:
It pains me greatly to say this. I never raise the white flag, but Ned tried and it was too little, too late.
Podsednik, Theriot, Lilly and Dotel arrived at the fort after the troops had already been massacred.
This year is done. It’s time to hop on the Bus Gus, we don’t need to discuss much.
It is time to look at the core of this team, and decide who has to stay and who can go. I think it’s really very simple: most of the core of this team are players who are under team control for the next few years, but not all are “core players.”
Immediately, the following players should be placed on waivers (of course, some like Sherrill , Blake and Anderson will not be claimed, but some will):
You don’t need to be coy, Roy, just listen to me. Here’s my rationale: The Dodgers will actually keep some of those players, but a few could bring us some TOP (I mean TOP) Prospects in return. Tampa Bay or the White Sox covet Manny, and while the Dodgers won’t get a ton for him, they should be able to recover $2 to $4 mil and a Top 10 Prospect for him. Broxton and Furcal will both bring two Top Prospects, I mean really good players. Raffy can help a team win it all THIS year. The Dodgers only control him one more year and he’s getting older, so they need to see what they can get. If they can get two Top Prospects for him, they should do it. Just drop off the key, Lee and set yourself free!
I am a believer that you don’t pay a closer $10 mil, and Broxton will be there soon. Never mind that I have an “irrational hatred of him” – he needs to go, and get us a couple more top prospects. Stockpile those bad boys. Someone may want Podsednik, Theriot, Lilly, Dotel, Padilla, Kuroda, Martin, Weaver and Carroll or Belly. They won’t all go, but some will. Jansen, Lindblom, Belisario, Kuo, Guerra and others wait to close.
Just slip out the back, Jack. Look, I like Raffy – but let’s get real. He’s having a career year. Trade him before he gets hurt!
Here’s the Dodger’s core:
That’s it! Those 5 guys are the Dodgers Core. I used to love Russ Martin, but he’s not a “core player.” Matt Kemp showed how good he can be when he is focused, like last night. He got called out in the press the day before, admitted he needed to do better, and immediately did it! He has Superstar talent. The play where Loney got thrown out at 3B could have happened to anyone in that same situation. I can’t fault Kemp on that one (and I have been critical of him this year). Kemp was scoring easily and wasn’t dogging it, but was in a mode that wasn’t top speed (and rightfully so). If anything, we should be ragging on Loney for going to 3B.
The Dodgers should lock those 5 guys up long term! RIGHT NOW! Belisario, Kuo, Jansen, Monasterios, Paul, Hu, DeJesus, Sands (?), Lindblom, Ely, Ellis and others will be around also.
Take the prospects the Dodgers can get for Martin, Broxton, Lilly, Manny and others and add them to their stable of prospects. Oh, and sign Zach Lee! NOW!
That’s my plan. Make it so, Ned.
Oh, here’s your short list for managers next year:
Pick one!
Some of it was predictable. When Andre Ethier was hitting .393 we all knew he couldn’t keep that up. That his batting average has dropped a .100 points is no shock. What will be a shock is if he doesn’t go on a tear and get it back up to the .310+ range. I think his time off with family will help him re-focus and heal. I will be shocked if he doesn’t start his late-inning heroics again.BTW – Lilly is an A Free Agent – The rest of the new trades are all B’s.
I have officially removed the first letter from Jon Broxton’s name and the first letter from his job: Closer.
It suits who he is!
I really though the Dodgers would become sellers after the Dodgers dropped 7 games back, but what do I know? The Sellers became Buyers and they got quite a lot. In the past couple of days they have added Octavio Dotel, Ryan Theriot, Ted Lilly and Scott Podsednik, all vets, to their roster. Let’s take a quick look at the newcomers:
Scouting Report: Theriot is just the kind of pesky hitter you want at the top of your lineup. In fact, he’s a perfect number two hitter as he not only makes pitchers work, he can also play small ball and move runners over. Theriot does a fantastic job working counts, making pitchers work to get him out and constantly draws walks (on-base machine). He is a shining example of a contact hitter and stays inside the ball very well which allows him to drive the ball to right and right center field. He has virtually no power at all but that isn’t his game so it isn’t a big deal. Very speedy on the base paths and a good base stealer. This really helps out the 3-4-5 hitters after him as the pitcher tends to become distracted with him. Then if they focus on the hitter, he’ll steal a base.
Theriot is a steady glove with steady hands at shortstop with a very smooth transition to the ball. Goes up the middle to track down balls in play much better than in the hole on the left side. Has the tendency to not charge in on balls which sometimes comes back to bite him on bad hops. He doesn’t have the best arm in the world but he is accurate on his throws. Not a flashy player at all, just an overall good guy to have on your team.
Here’s what I think: It’s likely that Manny will be traded after he comes off the DL – he will clear waivers and someone like the White Sox will pony up a good prospect for him. Has it ever occurred to anyone that the Dodgers might move their best hitter (Rafael Furcal) to the #3 spot? What about this lineup:
Finally, the Dodgers gave up some decent prospects to get these players, but that’s the price you have to pay. I hated to see Blake DeWitt go, but when you hit with no power, you better be able to steal 30 bases and DeWitt wasn’t that guy. Chicago will be a good place for him – he’ll hit with more power and he’s closer to home. Good Luck Blake!
And As I write this, I tend to lose all hope, because we still have Jon Broxton, who is the biggest choke artist in the NL! Ned, you blew your chance to trade him.
With Curley, Larry and Moe running the team, the Dodgers officially became sellers today. No way that bunch can overcome 7 games.
Joe Torre proved he wanted to take early retirement by leaving George Cheryl in the game today to pitch to a righthander in the 9th with the winning run on 2B. Even Ray Charles could have foreseen what would happen next!
The Six Stooges
Joe is tired, and wants to go race his horses, pickup his daughter at school and sip his Begelow Tea. Don Mattingley is busy looking for the other half of his wits, and Rick Honeycutt is irrelevant. Of course, Frank McCourt can get his share of the blame for not freeing up any money, but realistically, what does he expect with Curley, Larry and Moe running the ship? Enough already!
Let the fire sale begin, and start by whacking the Three Stooges!
Wasn’t there a 4th Stooge? Oh yeah, Ned was his name!
Blake, Furcal, Martin, Johnson, Broxton, Padilla, Belliard, Carroll, Manny (in a month) and Podsednik could all be dealt. Cheryl could be given away. Anderson could be released. Stock up on prospects!
Lineup:
I would enjoy that.
When it was announced that the Kansas City Royals got C Lucas May and P Elisaul Pimentel from the Dodgers for Scott Podsednik,I immediately thought that this is just a cheaper version
of Juan Pierre. The fact that the Dodgers traded for him was as much for preventing the Giants from getting him, as it was for need of another outfielder, although I think he will fit in nicely, PROVIDING GARRETT ANDERSON IS THE ODD MAN OUT!
Pimentel and May were not prospects, no matter how much some people make them seem like it. May is a backup at best, but not a good catcher, so that seems doubtful to me, and Pimentel has lots of potential but is 2-3 years away. A lot can happen in that time. These players were “organizational depth.” Nice players, but not really on the radar! The addition of Podsednik gives the Dodgers a legitimate #2 hitter and allows Kemp, Martin or Ethier to hit lower in the lineup.
Let’s get real: Does anyone with an ounce of brains think Lucas May is a major league catcher? Elisaul Pimentel? Way too soon to tell. Kyle Russell and Billy Ashley looked great at that juncture of their careers too.
I think more changes are in the air!
Belisario, Johnson and Manny will be back soon. The Dodgers are about where I expected them to be. They need a #5 (or higher starter), but so does about every other team. No one saw this trade coming and I guarantee you won’t see the next one. It will be
If you are new here, then you don’t miss me, and I guess if you have been here a long time you might not miss me either.
No disrespect, but I don’t miss you either.
Timmons Family Reunion
You see, I have been getting to know the daughter who I have been estranged from for 26 years. This has been an on-going healing process that will continue for the foreseeable future, but the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of “firsts” from my daughter:
and the first family photo, where my daughter and my sons really bonded. I love the Dodgers, but I love my family more and I have missed my daughter more than I can ever express. I won’t be back anytime soon.
I will preface what I am about to say, by stating that the Dodgers are capable of reeling off a 15 game winning streak!
Matt Kemp's Addiction
CHAD BILLINGSLEY ROCKS!
I have taken a lot of flack about my weak stomach for Jon Broxton.
I really don’t dislike the guy.
Stats show he’s pretty good, but stats don’t look into his eyes and see – A LOSER!
If you need a win in a really – I mean a really, really big game, he will blow it.
Count on it! Book it!
I have been telling you that for 3 years.
You still probably don’t believe me.
You’ll learn!
Jon Broxton will break your heart.
Sell high, Ned.
There are teams who will give you a Kings’s Ransom for him (teams that fall in love with his stats, like all the stat geeks).
TAKE IT!
While we are at it…
Except for the Yankees, lots of teams have lots of issues right about now. Some teams will be able to solve their problems and some teams won’t. The Dodgers are in a position to add payroll because they didn’t offer arbitration to either Wolf (7-8/4.56 ERA ) or Hudson (.300/4 HR/25 RBI – difference maker? HA!). The question is: Will they?
They have some issues, the least of which is the slump of Matt Kemp or Russ Martin’s proclivity to pull. Of bigger proportions is that it is becoming apparent that Manny can no longer be counted to on play, getting a 5th starter and finding a LF who can hit for power. I was TOTALLY against signing Manny and now you know why. You asked for it and you got it. Now, what do you do? Manny can be traded to a team like the Rays or the Yankees, bit the Dodgers will have to eat about 50% of the remainder of his salary. Don’t hesitate Ned, just do it.
I’m not going to guess who might go where, but a trade of Manny for a prospect or two whom the Dodgers could flip for a LF and/or starter could benefit the team.
If Broxton has to be part of that deal, then call up Jansen and close by committee.
How about a deal in which Jon Broxton goes home to the Braves, Chris Withrow goes to the Astros, Ethan Martin, Ivan DeJesus and AJ Ellis are part of a deal that nets the Dodgers Roy Oswalt? Then Manny goes to TB for a prospect.
Here’s the biggest difference this year:
| Pitchers | 2009 ERA | 2010 ERA |
| Beliasario | 2.04 | 3.79 |
| Sherrill | 0.65 | 7.17 |
| Troncoso | 2.72 | 5.15 |
| Long Relief | Mota 3.44 | Miller 4.44 |
