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:

1. Will the Dodgers try and sign Ted Lilly (a 3-year deal might be nice)?
2. Is Ryan Theriot the answer or a question at 2B?
3. The Dodgers really won’t try and sign an aging Scott Podsednik?   Will they?
4. Can the Dodgers find a 3B like, oh, maybe Adrian Beltre and make Casey Blake a super-sub?
5. Who will get traded in a blockbuster deal?  The Dodgers need a REALLY big bat!
6. Can Russ Mitchell be a serviceable backup?  He’s really Casey Blake!

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 FrankMcCourt 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!

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.

• Casey Blake has cleared waivers and it would be nice if someone took him, but I doubt it.  He has slipped badly this year and really can’t be counted on to be a starter next year.  He’ll be an expensive sub!  The Dodgers need a new 3B.
• As bad as Dodger Fans felt Russ Martin was playing, he looks like a Superstar compared to Ellis and Ausmus.  Dodger fans do need to realize that Martin may not be back next year.   Add a catcher to the shopping list.  AJ Ellis probably isn’t even a backup.  Add a catcher to the Dodgers’ shopping list.
• We all know that Manny will be gone after the season.  Let’s hope that he comes back strong and clears waivers, so that some AL team can absorb a little salary to give the Dodgers some relief next year.  Add a left fielder to the shopping list.
• My biggest hope is that Raffy come back and burns up the league and can be traded before August 31st.  I was against his signing because of his injury history and “all out style of play.”  The Dodgers can’t count on him to help much next year.  They should cut bait, if they can!  Add a Starting Shortstop to the equation, although I doubt he can be traded without eating half of his salary.
• As much as the relief pitching has sucked this year, the nature of relievers is that they frequently have off years and then bounce back with stellar seasons.  I believe that the Dodgers are OK in this area, regardless of what the stats say.
• Kuroda, Padilla and Lilly are all Free Agents.  No way the Dodgers offer Kuroda arbitration – maybe Padilla, and if Lilly wants to stay, they might opt to sign him top a 3-year deal.
• Kershaw has shown that he can be the Dodgers ace and Chad Billingsley has been excellent since the end of April with an ERA near 3.00.  I think Lilly fits nicely in the Dodgers rotation – it’s just a question of whether he is affordable.
• As crazy as you think it might be, Charlie Haeger may play the role of the 5th starter next year.  Think RA Dickey!
• Jon Broxton’s star has waned, but he still has good value and the Dodgers just need to trade him over the winter.  He’ll command too much for that position.  If I were the Dodgers, I would not pay it.  Kuo and Jansen can close.  If Belisario gets his head screwed on straight he’ll be an asset too, and Cheryl falls off the books (I hope).
• I have to wonder about the entire coaching staff in the minors and I think that has to be re-evaluated.  We have too many youngstersunderachieving (McDonald, Lindblom, Withrow, Martin, et al).  It’s time for a fresh look.  The Dodgers minor league system is under-preforming with regards to some very good prospects.  Nothing is sacred or off-limits.  The right people are not in place.  Heads must roll.
• I predict Matt Kemp will figure it out and be a Bison again in 2011!
• The Dodgers have a big “re-tooling job” to do in the off-season, which starts now!  C, 3B, SS and LF are wide open!

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:

• Schaffer
• Bowa
• Torre
• Mattingly
• Honeycutt
• Colletti
• Blake
• Furcal
• Manny
• Belliard
• … and maybe McCourt

Maybe Brox would be better at home.  Would the ATL pony up for him?

1. We have all watched the hitters on this bipolar team for 3 years, and it seems that they are all smoking hot or all ice cold. 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.
2. Why this team runs hot and cold has to have some root in the coaching.  The Dodgers have 2 batting coaches and I see Torre talking to guys about hitting as well.  Could it be that they are irrelevant… or worse?  That has to be considered.  In my opinion, everything is on the table, up to and including the firing of Mattingly and Pentland!   Bring in a fresh face.  I know it’s late in the season, but in what way could it hurt?  Could they hit any worse?  It might serve as a “wake-up call.”
3. It’s probably too late in the year for Matt Kemp to recover his focus and screw his head on straight.  Matt Kemp should be carrying this team, but he is dragging it down.  The whispers around the ballpark are that he has a crappy attitude, and it is obvious to everyone that he has lost focus on the field.  He could regain it with a big SLAP IN THE FACE (like sit him for the next series and announce why), but it will probably take the whole off-season to do it, IF he can do it.    Matt Kemp is a classic case that proves the difference between a superstar and a journeyman lies almost solely between the ears!  Matt is at a crossroads in his career.  Robinson Cano was at a similar crossroads in 2008, when he hit .246 the first half of the season with 6 HR – he has rebounded nicely!  Is Kemp closer to being Robinson Cano or Raul Mondesi? That is the question.
4. Russ Martin and Casey Blake both hitting 20 to 30 points below their career averages does nothing but garner support that Pentland and Mattingly must go! I already have serious questions about Mattingly’s mangerial ability anyway!
5. I am certain that Ned had to take Theriot and give up DeWitt in order to get Lilly, and that may or may not have been a good move – time will tell.  This I do know – Blake DeWitt doesn’t have the arm and the power for 3B, so forget that nonsense.  He was never going to be the Dodgers (or for that matter, anyone’s) third baseman.  I think Blake DeWitt will be a fine 2B and I still believe he will hit 15-20 HR, especially at Wrigley.
6. Now, that I have pretty much trashed the team, I will say that we all know they are capable of getting “white hot.”   I can see a big run left in this team, say where they win 22 out of 25 games!  They have done it before.  Belisario will be back soon.  Reed Johnson will be back and Manny will return in a couple of weeks, and hopefully Garrett Anderson will retire.  I still think that they have one last BIG RUN left in them.  With Lilly filling the #5 spot, and the rotation very solid, the bullpen better with Dotel and the return of Belisario, I do not think the Dodgers are dead.  The next series will determine their fate.  They just need to bring their brooms!
7. Kershaw and Billingsley and Kuroda and Padilla are among the best quartets of starters in baseball right now.  Kershaw and Billingsley have certainly been stellar lately.  The Matt Kemp of 2009 may have caught the double in the gap last night…
8. I have also resolved to only say good things about Jon Broxton:  So here goes:  When he is gone – GOOD!

BTW – Lilly is an A Free Agent – The rest of the new trades are all B’s.

There isn’t much difference between a dude and a dud – One Little Letter!

An offseason ago, it was proposed that the Yankees trade Robinson Cano for Matt Kemp.  It made sense for the Yankees:  Cano was under-performing and they needed a CF.  To me, it made no sense for the Dodgers – after all Matt was a “budding superstar”  and was growing into a Gold Glove center fielder, a feared base-stealer and a difference maker.  Through the first month of the season, Matt Kemp was taking the next step (at least offensively) to becoming an Elite Player.

Now, it’s nearly July and Robinson Cano and Matt Kemp both have three letters by their names:  Cano is MVP and Kemp is DFA!

Matt Kemp has went from one of the best center-fielders in baseball to one of the worst, and has went from a feared base-stealer to a sure out! Add in the fact that  he has hit .191 in June and you can see that Matt kemp has went from being anchor on the Dodgers team, to a boat anchor who is bringing the team down.  What is happening to Matt Kemp?  This we know:  He has incredible talent, talent to be a Superstar.  Most Fantasy Baseball guides had him in the Top 3 Outfielders.  So, if he’s not and yet shown on the major league level that he can excel (and he has), then the problem is in his head (unless he has lost his ability to see).  Head problems are hard to fix.  I don’t know Matt well and while I don’t know his parents well either, I can see that he was raised to be respectful, responsible and hard-working.  Matt was not raised to be a prima donna, and I am not saying he is, but I can only go by what I see, and what I see looks awful!  At times (like last night) he flashes leather in CF, but that’s not the usual.

Matt Kemp looks to me like a guy who just got a multi-million dollar contract and is living on his past press clippings. It’s not to last to do a 180 and get back on track, but Matt is going to have to re-dedicate himself to the game of baseball.  Something is missing – maybe he knows.  He best identify it before he becomes Raul Mondesi!

The same applies to one Russell Martin. While he is throwing out baserunners at  a 34% clip (his high), his defense has regressed and his hitting is putrid.  His OB% is decent at .351, but his bat is no longer feared.  Russell Martin is becoming a non-factor.  Look at the team woes right now and it’s easy to see that Martin and Kemp are almost single-handedly responsible for the lack of offense.  Sure, Andre Ethier has been declining, but he has a reason – he needs to nurse his pinkie back to health.   Kemp and Ethier combined for 6 K’s last night!

The Dodgers have a nice 2B combination with DeWitt and Carroll and Casey Blake is Casey Blake at 3B.  Raffy looks primed to have a good year, Manny is picking it up at bat, and the Dodger subs are doing their jobs.  Even Garrett Anderson has a pulse.  James Loney is the teams’ RBI Leader and is becoming more of a vocal leader by showing some fire with the umpires.  Atta Boy, James!  The fact is that the Dodgers cannot win unless Matt Kemp and Russ Martin play up to their talent level.  Dodger fans are calling you out!  Are you Dudes or Duds?

Dodger Notes:

• Charlie Haeger was DFA’ed – someone will probably give him a chance.  I’d be surprised if he goes back to the minors as a Dodger, but you never know.  He sure tanked… with a quickness!  Jon Link will probably get the call until C-Bill comes of the DL next week.
• I have not been impressed with Jerry Sands because of his lack of athleticism, but it’s starting to look like he could be a stone-cold hitter.  I would love to eat my words.
• Kyle Russell – AA Stats:  60 AB/26 K/5 BB – Can you say OVERMATCHED?
• Vicente Padilla was nearly as good as CC last night.  If Padilla and Ely can both pitch like they have the last two games, the back of the rotation will be solid, but I still want Lee or Oswalt!
• Josh Lindblom is excelling out of the pen for Albuquerque Isotopes – he has not allowed a run in his last 5 innings.

I think there comes a time when you have to assess what you have and what you could have if you are willing to roll the dice. Sure, the hitters have been slumping

Do it, Ned! Just Do It!

lately, but that’s only temporary.  This is a very good hitting team, especially when all the parts are in place.  I think the time has come for the Dodgers to pull the trigger, gut the farm and go for broke THIS year.  This is Manny’s last year in LA, Raffy is getting older and so is Casey Blake.  The hitting is fine – Manny is heating up, Matt will get his stroke back and Andre will take up where he left off a few weeks ago.  Offensively, I believe the Dodgers can play with anyone.  Pitching is the issue.  Starting pitching in particular.  Now I happen to believe that Kershaw, Kuroda and Billingsley are among the best trios in the league.  But to get past the NLCS, the Dodgers need more.   They need Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt!

The Dodgers will be loathe to give up any major league players, so they will have to overpay in prospects.  What would it take to get Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt?  Here’s the list and I think it would take every last one:

• Ethan Martin
• Aaron Miller
• Chris Withrow
• Dee Gordon
• Kyle Russell
• Ivan DeJesus, Jr.
• James McDonald
• Scott Elbert

That would effectively “gut” the farm.  I also think the Astros and Mariners would take Padilla and Ely in lieu of a couple of the prospects.

Me?  I would do it.  I’d go for it all.  Clayton Kershaw would be your #3.  Hiroki Kuroda would be the #4 and Chad Billingsley the #5 starter with Lee and Oswalt the 1,2 punch.  I think the Dodgers could win with that team… and I mean WIN IT ALL!

They would pay for it down the road, but it could be sweet this year!

Before you go off on “McCourt won’t spend the money”  you need to realize that Frank knows a Championship would pay off in much greater revenue.  If this deal doesn’t happen, a similar one will.  Watch and learn!

• I’ll be in I agreement with Joe Torre that Carlos Monasterios is the “odd-man-out” of the rotation. He will be better served and
  

  Fake or Real Deal?

  better serve the Dodgers as a long-man in the pen when Padilla is activated on Friday.  The question is, who comes off the roster?  It will probably be Justin Miller, which means we will probably lose him, but it should be Garrett Anderson!  That should be a no-brainer.

• Josh Lindblom is back at AAA as a reliever - this is what he is, folks!  Give him a few tune-up games and he’ll be up with the big club.  This kid will impact the pennant race this year.  He has 4 pitches and throws up to 97 MPH out of the pen.
• Kyle Russell? I have no opinion.  I didn’t put him in my Top 10 Prospect List, but here is what I can tell you about him that I like:  He’s a bigger, stronger, more athletic version of Mark Reynolds with more power than Mark Reynolds ever thought about having. He may not bee good enough to play CF in the majors, but he’s close and he would be a plus defender at either corner spot.  Now, here’s the puzzling part:  Reynolds never struck out much in the minors.  Can Russell make it in the majors?  I can’t say, but I can say that is a intriguing possibility. I think he will struggle for a while and will figure it out… or not!
• So, how do the free agents that the Dodgers missed out on look right now?  Do you still think Free Agency is great for anyone but the players?
  • Orlando Hudson was OPS’ing  .799 when he returned to the DL .  Blake DeWitt, who has not really shined as yet, is OPS’ing .737.  $8 mil more for O-Dog?  Are you an ignorant savage?
  • $120 mil would have gotten Matt Holiday – he’s on pace for 16 HR/65 RBI and a .289 BA while hitting .205 with RISP.
  • You could have gotten Chone Figgins for $36 MIL, which is more than Casey Blake, and you would have gotten a .228 BA.
  • If you had spent $82.5 mil for John Lackey you would have a pitcher who has a 4.54 ERA and strikes out 4.9 batters every 9 innings and walks 3.9 batters every 9 innings.
  • Jason Bay has 4 HR and 26 RBI… all for a cool $66 mil deal!
• The Great Lakes Loons of the Dodgers farm system which is allegedly devoid of talent  has 7 players on the Mid-West League All-Star Team.  They are Jerry Sands (first base) and Christian Lara (shortstop), while Loons infielder Rafael Ynoa and outfielder Angelo Songco will be dressed as reserves.  The three pitchers are right-handers Will Savage, Luis Vasquez and Allen Webster. The team does not include Justin Miller who is 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA.
• Pablo Sandoval recently grounded into his NL-leading 16th double play. Stretched out over 162 games, that’s 43 GIDPs for the Kung Fu Panda, which puts him on pace to shatter Jim Rice’s All-Time record of 36 GIDPs in 1984.   Sandoval, who is listed on the Giants’ website at 245 pounds, may be quick “for a big man,” but he’s never going to be quick enough to leg out a ball hit deep in the hole at shortstop. Last winter, the team put him on a strict diet and exercise regimen dubbed “Operation Panda,” an intense shape-up program that Sandoval started in earnest before heading home to Venezuela for a stint in winter ball. Supposedly, he weighed his portions and logged his workouts. He turned down his former staples of pizza and McDonald’s in favor of fruit plates and turkey sandwiches on wheat bread. He even passed on his mom’s famous lasagna. Yet he still showed up to spring training at 262 pounds.  He also lacks plate discipline. After a hot start, opposing pitchers discovered that, in addition to cheeseburgers and fries, Panda can’t lay off the high heat. In fact, he’s just not very selective at all. Opposing pitchers are throwing ground ball pitches to Sandoval in situations that favor double plays and he’s obliging them in super-sized bunches.  He’s at .282 (which may be close to his weight…. and dropping.
• Great article about Chad Billingsley’s dad HERE.
• I’ll be reporting from Cincinnati the next three games.

Loney Fouling Off Pitch - Photo by Roger Sobin

I have been saying for some time now that the Dodgers need to GO BIG OR STAY HOME.  Sign Oswalt or Lee, forget journeymen like Wolf.  The Dodgers wanted no part of Hudson or Wolf because of what they might have made in arbitration.  It’s true that the Dodgers have payroll constraints, but it’s not nearly what you may think.  The Dodgers ARE players for Lee and Oswalt – it won’t happen until July I don’t think, but if they had gotten stuck with Wolf or Hudson, they could not do that.  Randy Wolf beat John Lackey in EVERY statistical category last year, and Lackey makes $18 million. If I were Wolf’s agent, I would certainly be able to argue that he’s worth as much as Lackey, while asking less.    Kim Ng would have a hard time beating that argument.

Dodger News

• Charlie Haegar officially has “turf toe.”  Is that anything like “missile toe”?
• James Loney had a bonehead play last night in getting picked off 2B.  He just kept on walking towards the clubhouse when it happened.  James said it was stupid.  It was stupid.  Now move on…
• Chad Billingsley had his best outing of the year last night going 8 strong innings after giving up 3 early home runs.  Let’s dispel the myth that’s he’s not mentally strong.  After the 3 bombs, he settled in to retire 19 out of the last 21 hitters and struck out 11 while walking none.  He kept focus and didn’t let the bad start beat him.  Excellent start!
• The D-Backs gift wrapped that win and I’ll take it!
• Casey Blake does lots of things that don’t show up in the box score, such as creating a balk.
• If the Tigers can’t trade Dontrelle Willis, I would be willing to give up a PTBNL (Lambo) for him, providing the Tigers pay 90% of his salary.
• I cannot for the life of me, understand why Garrett Anderson is on the roster.  He must have photos of Colletti and Torre in some compromising position…

• Was it Larry Bowa who suggested that Matt Kemp be traded?  Was it because he sometimes runs through Bowa’s stop signs, like yesterday?  Casey Blake ran through Bowa’sStop Sign yesterday as well. Take aways those two runs which Bowa tried to strand at 3B and the Dodgers may have lost.  The question is:  Is Bowa losing it at 3B?
• Matt Kemp looked like superman with his game-saving diving catch in CF.  The X-Man made a leaping catch in RF to also save the day.
• Here’s ALL you need to know to decide whether to keep Anderson or Paul –  Which player makes the Dodgers a better team?  That’s all that needs to be considered. Paul is better defensively, has a better arm, has speed that can serve the Dodgers well as a pinch runner, and has shown he can hit major league pitching.  Paul has nothing more to learn at AAA  and the Dodgers need their best players on the big league roster.  The Dodgers need 5 outfielders because of Manny being a liability in LF and requiring more rest and defensive replacements.  The Dodgers will do a disservice to their fans, players and Paul by demoting him.  That’s the long and short of it.
• Dontrelle Willis wants to play for a West Coast team – he worth a “look see.”  He’s only 28 – maybe some one can resurrect his career.  He’ll only cost the minimum…
• Roy Halladay – Perfect!  What can you say?  He’s the best in baseball!
• Here’s what the following Dodger players will do if they keep up their current pace:

Additionally, Ely is on pace to be 10-6, Billingsley 19-6 and Kershaw and Kuroda are projected at 16-10.  Of course, it doesn’t mean that will happen, but you never know…

• Scott Elbert was optioned and Travis Schlichting was recalled from AAA – pay no attention to his stats.  The PCL skews everything.
• Since Charlie Haegar has an injured toe, Carlos Monasterios is getting another start.  This is good!
• If you think the reason the Dodgers didn’t offer arbitration to Hudson and Wolf was so they wouldn’t have to pay draft picks, you are clinically insane.

Want an Ace?

Would you trade Manny Ramirez, James McDonald and Chris Withrow for Cliff Lee?

Let’s not stop there.  Seattle sucks.  Their re-building is dead.

How about Manny Ramirez, James McDonald, Vicente Padilla, Dee Gordon, Chris Withrow,  Casey Blake, Xavier Paul and Jon Broxton for Cliff Lee and Ichiro Suzuki?

Eight for two!

Then trade an obscure player for Mike Lowell (the Red Sox will pay most of his salary).

Lineup:

1. Suzuki  CF
2. Furcal  SS
3. Kemp  RF
4. Ethier  LF
5. Loney  1B
6. Lowell  3B
7. DeWitt 2B
8. Martin  C

Rotation:

1. Lee
2. Kuroda
3. Kershaw
4. Billingsley
5. Ely

Think that would make the Dodgers “odds-on-favorites” for the Series?

Drink the Kool-Aid!

Drink it NOW!

I guess all good things have to come to an end, so Joe Torre might as well roll Ramon Ortiz out there tonight to put an end to this streak.

What?  You say that’s negative?

The Beard is Back and so is the Bat!

OK.  Well, I’m POSITIVE that Ramon Ortiz can put an end to this 9 game winning streak!  It would be nice if we didn’t lose a game the rest of this year, but I don’t see that happening.

If the Dodgers win tonight, it means that the Big Dodger in the Sky is very happy!

RANTS & RAVES

• It sounds to me like “Walkoff” Ethier can be out anywhere from two weeks to two months.  No kidding!  X.P. is getting another chance.  The more I see him, the more I like him.  Like getting that bunt down to advance the runners into scoring position.  Frequently, when you do the little things, you also can do the bigger things.
• Chin-lung Hu has quietly raised his BA to nearly .300 in AAA.
• Memories of Kevin Malone is working on ranking the Dodgers prospects, something that I used to do, which I think is an exercise in futility.  I can list my Top 10, but not in any order.  It’s like trying to rank Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Eva Longoria, Kelly Brook, Megan Fox and Naomi Watts.  I mean, who knows?  Not that the Dodgers prospects are of that caliber, but how the heck can you do it?  I can’t – I’ll take ‘em all!
• Dodgers team ERA dropped to 4.31.
• The “Beard” is back and so is the “Bat.”
• From Tony Jackson of ESPN/LosAngeles:

Don’t be surprised if veteran infielder Alfredo Amezaga finds his way onto the Dodgers’ roster within the next few weeks. Amezaga, whom the Dodgers signed to a minor league contract on Feb. 2 knowing that he wouldn’t be fully recovered from microfracture surgery on his left knee until late spring, played in his first game in 366 days on Monday night when he went 2 for 2 with a walk in three plate appearances for Double-A Chattanooga.

Amezaga was held out of the lineup on Tuesday night at Mobile because of inclement weather that led to multiple delays and eventually to the game being called after six innings.

Amezaga, 32, spent the past four seasons with the Florida Marlins, but he missed most of last year with the knee problem. His contract with the Dodgers contains a pair of escape clauses if he isn’t in the majors, the first of which he can exercise on June 15 and the second of which triggers a month later. Given the time, effort and resources the Dodgers have put into his rehab, they aren’t likely to let him get away.

The versatile Amezaga has played every position in his career except pitcher and catcher. He will receive a prorated share of a $650,000 base salary for any time he spends on the active, major league roster, and his contract also contains several incentives based on plate appearances and games played.

I can see him being a very useful piece on the roster, but the question is “whose place does he take?”  Oh well, things like that have a way of taking care of themselves.

Many of you had the Dodgers dead and buried a couple of weeks ago (no, I am not going to just let it go – you need to learn a lesson) and now they are red-hot-on-fire-the-hottest-

Excellent Defense

team-in-baseball! Like it or not, here is what you are seeing:

• You are seeing the maturation of some young pitchers like Kershaw, Billingsley, Ely, Kuo, Belisario and Broxton;
• You are seeing the maturation of  some young hitters like Loney, Kemp, Martin, DeWitt and Walkoff Ethier;
• You are seeing Ned’s signing of Jamey Carroll pay off in spades (Garrett Anderson still sucks);
• You are seeing a team win seven in as row, 9 out of the last 10 games and 12 out of the last 15 games;
• You are seeing this team grow their own ace and number two in Kershaw and C-Bill;
• You are seeing a TEAM unite for a common goal; and
• You just might see history in the making if the Dodgers make the playoffs for the third straight year.

I am accused of seeing the baseball world through “BLUE” glasses and while I bleed Dodger Blue, I also have my eyes wide-open.  This Dodger team has warts.  It lacks a true ace (as yet) and it is young.  Some of our subs are old and some call them “geezers” but did you see the ages of the “Geezers” who won the last World Series?  Look it up!

However, I knew that this team would be “hungry” and want to win.  You have a few players who have experience and are of an age that they need to win NOW.  Players like Blake, Manny, Raffy, Belliard, Johnson and others.  Then you have the young bucks, like Kemp, Loney, Martin, Ethier, DeWitt, Broxton, Kershaw, Billingsley, Ely, Kuo, Belisario, Ellis and others who are trying to make a name (and fortune) for themselves.

Like it our not, Ned has put together a pretty effective team and I would not be surprised if Vicente Padilla wins 12 games!  Write that down.  He is motivated!  Charlie Haegar may still surprise us.

Lindblom, McDonald, Paul, Hoffman, May, Hu and others are at-the-ready.

You can continue to moan and bitch about the McCourt fisaco, or you can focus on the team and this team is REALLY GOOD… just like I told you two months ago!

You can believe what the fish hacks say (“Joe is tired of the McCourt penny-pinching and wants out”, “the Dodgers won’t spend any money”) or you can face reality.  Yes, you will get a lot of info from the “fish hacks”  but their conclusions are often erroneous.  Think what you want about Joe Torre, but do you really think he’s going to tell his friends and fish hacks anything confidential?

Use your brains, people!  Critics are everywhere, and critics are just people who criticize people about things they can’t do themselves!  They are “small” individuals.

The Dodgers haven’t swept the Padres in San Diego, since George Washington was in the White House!

Celebrate!

• I think James McDonald and Josh Lindblom will both play a big role with the 2010 Dodgers.
• If Hiroki Kuroda can continue to hit 95 MPH on his fastball and mix up his pitches like he has, he will be an All-Star this year.
• The Kiddie Corps of Chad and Clayton are starting to hit their stride.  I’m liking the Dodgers top 3 starters.  You can buy and ace or grow an ace.  I prefer the later.
• With Padilla likely out until June, John Ely and Carlos Monasterios will each get another start or four.
• Charlie Haeger can’t even pitch in a 9-1 blowout?  That doesn’t bode well for his future.  He is in Joe’s doghouse.  Charlie Haeger and Been Sheets have similar ERA’s.  I guess I’d rather be Ned Colletti than Billy Beane on that one.
• George Sherrill needs another pitching coach.  He scares me, but he’s better than he shows.
• What’s not to like about Casey Blake? He gets big hits, makes good plays and is a good teammate.  He’s hitting .263 with 3 HR, 6 Doubles and 15 RBI, which is 3rd on the team.  He’s solid, steady and will benefit if he only has to start 125-130 games, but he can pinch hit in the rest.  Casey Blake can play on my team any time.
• Have the Dodgers fired Joe Torre yet?
• When do Sands and Russell move up?  With Lambo in Limbo, Russell should go to AA and Sands to IE.
• Somebody told me I was crazy last season when I suggested that Andre Ethier could hit 40 HR.  I may be crazy, but he CAN hit 40 HR, like THIS year! No more Mr. Softee.
• Speaking of Soft, Andy LaRoche looks “soft” to me.  It looks like I was wrong in his evaluation.
• Matt Kemp is a streaky hitter.  He’ll hit like crazy for 4 or 5 games and then look horrible the next 4 or 5 games.  Sooner or later, the bad times will be less and less.  I guess the same can be said about Ethier.
• Who likes Garrett Anderson over Xavier Paul? No me!  Paul has better speed, is better defensively, has a cannon on his shoulder compared to Anderson’s popgun and is hitting better than Anderson.  That kind of performance needs to be rewarded.  Paul has to stay on the team when Manny is activated.   Simple as that.  While Paul is not a great CF, he can play there as well, and Anderson can’t.
• Ken Gurnick of Dodgers.com has a nice article about the reformed Pedro Guerrero.
• Don’t get too excited – it was only the Pirates…
• It looks like Hu will be called up on Tuesday and Raffy will go on the DL.

After a promising first inning where the Reds went down 1-2-3, Chad Billingsley suddenly started “grooving” pitches and giving up hits.  ”Here it is right down the pipe for you, go ahead and hit it,” and they did.  Chad didn’t walk anyone in his three pathetic innings.  Instead, he pitched like a man who had been told he was going to be flogged with a cat-o-nine tails if he didn’t throw that ball right down Broadway.

As someone said yesterday, you can’t fire the players, so maybe it’s time to fire the guy whose job is to instruct these guys. His training, teaching, mentoring and instruction isn’t working.  Rick Honeycutt is a genuinely nice guy, but the pitchers aren’t listening.  It’s time for a new voice.  Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and now Ramon Troncoso, have been plagued with fits of “walkitis.”   The wildness has been an issue for a few years and maybe, just maybe, the Dodgers success in pitching the past few years has been more of a testament to the drafting ability of Logan White and Company and not a glowing endorsement of Honeycutt.  Maybe the pitchers have been as good as they have been because of their ability and not the instruction they are receiving.  Ken Howell is the bullpen coach, and while another really great guy, the Dodgers need a new voice.  This one is not working.

The Dodgers already have a seventy year-old “figurehead” manager (which may or may not be just what they need), in that Don Mattingley and Bob Schaefer handle a lot of the managing decisions. Honeycutt handles the pitching staff and Torre handles his horses. It was revealed that he was going to visit his derby horse whose name is something like “Somebody’s Homeboy or the Other.”  Look, you can visit your horse in the off-season.  This team has some issues with it’s pitching and you had better solve them, Joe.  Hold your horses, you need to be calling new candidates for the job that should be open.

The Dodgers lead all of baseball with a .306 batting average, but are 26th in ERA at 5.55 – only the Washington Nationals, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates have allowed more runs.  Chad Billlingsley had a live arm last night, hitting 93 MPH on the gun.  When a pitcher with his stuff gets beat like a rented mule, you have to do something.  When walks plague your best setup man and costs you the game, you have to do something.  When your best pitcher has 15 bases on balls in 17 innings pitched, you have to do something.   When a team such as the Dodgers, with a long legacy of exceptional pitching has a 5.55 team ERA, you HAVE to do something.  It’s way past time to do something about it!

When you do what you have always done, you get what you have always gotten and that is INSANE!   It’s time to change.  Do Joe and Ned have the guts to do it?

There may be another BIGGER issue at work here:  Do the Dodgers have a good minor league pitching policy?  Maybe they should consider doing what the Cubs did when they made Greg Maddux a special assistant to the GM and in charge of the team’s pitching programs.  Who should fill that spot for the Dodgers?  Do we need a “Pitching Czar?”  Give me some ideas….

DODGER NOTES:

• After 2 shutout innings where he looked pretty impressive, Jon Link was sent back to AAA while Ramon Ortiz and his 8.00 ERA got to say.  I don’t know, but I think I would have liked to see more what Jon Link is about.
• It was obviously a bad move to insert Belliard at 1B in the bottom of the 8th inning.  Yes, I am second-guessing, but you don’t put in an inexperienced 1B in at the end of a tie game.
• Garrett Anderson hit the ball very hard only to be robbed of a hit and extra-bases by Jay Bruce, w ho caught it at the wall.
• Does anyone still think Casey Blake is washed up?

I have a busy day today, but here are a few observations:

• That’s the Padilla the Dodgers need.  If he can pitch like that, they will be just fine.
• The Dodgers offense is among the most potent in baseball, with Ethier, Kemp, Loney and Martin coming into their own, Blake improving at 36, Manny being Manny and Raffy healthy.  They were good last year.  They will be MUCH better this year.
• Ortiz is toast.
• Ortiz is toast.
• I love Kemp at #2.  Good things happening early sets the tone!
• Prediction:  The Dodgers will have 4 players in the TOP 10 for MVP.  Book it!

Rants & Raves

The Dodgers Second Baseman for the Next 1o Years?

• A few days ago when Joe Torre named Vicente Padilla the Opening Day Starter, eyebrows were raised because the guy who is arguably the #4, maybe the #5 starter on the team was picked.  That is troubling, especially in light of the fact that some of the writers who regularly cover the team believe that Joe did it to spite Ned for not getting him an “Ace pitcher” over the winter.  Of course, no one can answer that but Joe Torre himself.  I am not accusing him of that, merely saying out-loud what some people say in private.
• After a 1.69 Spring ERA and two new pitches, Clayton Kershaw looks like an Ace.  Chad Billingsley, with a 1.84 Spring ERA looks much improved over the second half of last year.  Hiroki Kuroda  (2.51 Spring ERA) and  Charlie Haeger (2.20 Spring ERA) also all had dramatically better Spring ERA than Vicente Padilla’s 5.71 Spring ERA.  You can say all you want about saving Clayton for the home opener, but the Opening Day Starter is almost always bestowed upon your staff Ace and Clayton or Chad are clearly that.
• To name Vicente Padilla the Opening Day Starter nearly two weeks ago was clearly a mistake.  It’s a mistake which can be corrected, if it’s done now.  Vicente Padilla is the Fifth Best Starter on the Dodgers.  Naming him the Opening Day Starter is wrong and simply indefensible.  End of Story!
• To his credit, Joe did name Blake DeWitt the starting 2B, but it took way to long.  According to Tony Jackson of ESPN/LosAngeles, Joe Torre first told DeWitt that he was being sent to AAA as an April Fool’s Joke.  To DeWitt’s credit, he hung his head and showed his class by saying “I understand” before being let in on the prank.  Joe went on to say:

“Ronnie Belliard certainly has been a regular player and could be a regular player for a period of the time, but I think over the long haul Blake DeWitt is the young guy that needs to play every day. If he’s not going to play every day he shouldn’t be here.”

• Charlie Haeger clearly did not have good control of his Knuckleball last night (6 BB), but they weren’t hitting him either.  I look for good things from him.  Joe named him the number 5 starter, but Joe can’t count.  Charlie is the Dodgers #4 starter.
• When the bell rings, if Troncoso and Sherrill keep getting beat like rented mules, we have a big problem.  I am not worried… YET!
• Ramon Ortiz is a real gem in the pen for us.
• Have you ever seen Brandon Webb and Jason Schmidt together?  I think not!   Brandon Webb is either Jason Schmidt or impersonating him.  He looks like toast to me…
• To me it looks like Russ Ortiz can’t make the team.  Wheeeeewwwwww!
• Chad of Memories of Kevin Malone list his Top Dodger Prospects.   I no longer rank them in order because I don’t think it’s possible, but he’s got all the right names on there.  Nice Job Chad!  Here’s his TOP 20:

• My Final Roster:

1. Martin
2. Loney
3. DeWitt
4. Furcal
5. Blake
6. Ramirez
7. Kemp
8. Ethier
9. Ausmus
10. Belliard
11. Carroll
12. Johnson
13. Anderson
14. Hu (but they will probably keep Green-Why?  I have no clue, other than the fact he can play OF too)
15. Kershaw
16. Billingsley
17. Kuroda
18. Haeger
19. Padilla
20. Ortiz, Ramon
21. Troncoso
22. Weaver
23. Sherrill
24. Monasterios
25. Broxton

Roger Dodger Cheezing for the Camera

I thought that Doug Mientkiewicz was smarter than he is acting. It seems that when he left camp on Friday, he also wanted his release from the Dodgers and get this – the Dodgers want to hold onto him as long as they can in case there is an injury to Garrett Anderson and they need him back as the LH pinch hitter. Imagine that!

Hello, did you every hear of an injury, moron?  Look in the mirror and you will see the classic reason why you are not released as yet.  You injured your shoulder in early April, 2009, and haven’t been the same since.  Ned is hanging onto you to prevent “Doug Mientkiewicz Syndrome”.

Well, that and he’s pissed that you are acting like a crybaby, so he’s going to enforce the letter of the law.  You’re a Dodger until April 2nd.  Shaddup and take it like a man!  (Source:  Ken Gurnick – Dodgers.com)

Clayton Kershaw , Ramon Ortiz and Ramon Troncoso all appear ready for the season to begin.  Kershaw ended the Spring with a 1.69 ERA and listen to what Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times writes about his stuff:

Clayton Kershaw couldn’t throw his curveball for strikes in the first couple of innings Sunday, something that would have spelled trouble at an earlier stage of his career.

But his fastball was working. So was his slider. And changeup.

According to a chart kept by pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, Kershaw threw seven of eight changeups for strikes and recorded three outs with the pitch. Seven of his nine sliders were thrown for strikes.

Relying on the two relatively new weapons in his arsenal, Kershaw was able to bide time until his curveball started dropping into strike zone. He exited his final Cactus League start having held the Cincinnati Reds to one run, six hits and one walk over six innings.

“It’s something you’re seeing more and more confidence in,” Honeycutt said of his changeup and slider.

Clayton Kershaw should have been tapped by Torre to be the Number One.  Even Clayton knows that Vicente Padilla is not even close to being an Opening Day Starter.  Please!!!

Hernandez also reports that Casey Blake is taking a new approach to hitting which appears to be working.

He said he has taken a new approach to hitting this spring, focusing less on the mechanical aspects of his swing.

“Usually, I’ll get in the cage, re-watch some film, really worry about my swing,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been pretty mindless when it comes to my swing and I’ve been working on my timing more than anything.”

Blake, who ranks among the Cactus League leaders with a .375 average, doubled and scored a run Sunday.

Blake is a notoriously slow starter — he has a career .241 average in March and April — but is hoping he can change that this season.

“Hopefully, I can be more consistent with my mental approach to the game in the start of the season and not try to dwell too much on how I start,” he said. “Kind of like my spring training approach — try not to worry about my swing or the results.”

Just when you though you had it all figured out, Casey Blake changes everything.  If he can hit early, that only bodes well for the Dodgers.

I am transcribing the Logan White interview and should have it ready by Wednesday.

By the way, all the photos provided up until today have been taken by Senior LAdodgerTalk Photographer, Roger “Dodger” Sobin,  seen above by the car in Camelback, on his way to the airport.

I will post more photos soon, as soon as I figure out why I am having difficulty formatting them (they won’t stay where I put them, when I post multiple ones – I did it last Spring with no problems).

Well, we are settled in at Camelback Ranch.  I sat next to Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLa, Tony Jackson of Espn/LA and Jim Peltz of The LA Times – at least there were three good writers in

Casey Blake's Cousin - Minus the Chin

that group.  I feel like on of those “Which one doesn’t belong” kid’s games. “Which one doesn’t belong?  Jackson, Stephen, Peltz or Timmons?” Timmons!   That would be correct! Anyway it was a great way to watch a bad game.  The Dodgers looked like they forgot to show up.  There were some highlights however:

• With James McDonald going back to minor league camp, Josh Lindblom’s chances of making the team just went up.  Unlike McDonald, he is “seizing the day.”  He pitched two spectacular innings last night with six up and six down and had three strikeouts.  It’s good to see this “Indiana Boy” do well.
• Ronnie Belliard looks to be in better condition that last year (i.e., his gut is smaller) , but according to multiple sources, he has not reached the magic number – 209.  His HR last night broke up a perfect games and it got out in a hurry.   He also had a second shot which the heavy night air “held up.”  It would have been a home-run in the daytime.
• Raffy looks re-juveneated.  If he can stay healthy, the Dodgers are looking Very, Very Good this year.  He smothered a ball on the first base side of second, that I felt he had no chance of getting.
• Vicenete Padilla gave up 4 runs in the 2^ndinning.  Oh, well it’s early according to Eric Karros.  However, he did go five innings and except for the second inning he gave up no runs.
• The air was heavy last night and Manny had two shots which would have been home-runs in the daylight.
  

  Josh "Lights Out" Lindblom

• Pedro Baez had a hard double in the ninth inning.
• We were at a bar yesterday afternoon and I was talking about Casey Blake and said something like:  ”You know, without his beard, Casey Blake enters a room 3 minutes after his chin.”   There was a 23 year-old kid sitting at the bar beside me who said “Ain’t that the truth?  He’s my second cousin.”  We talked for a while.  What a small world.  He was down to see Casey play a couple  of games before traveling to Alaska.  He looks like Casey a bit, I think.
• Roger spotted some of the old time Dodgers in the crowd – see below:

All the Old 1970's Team Was Here.....

• Arguments can be made who should hit where, but I do think Joe Torre has a definite plan of hitting Kemp right behind Furcal (who has looked re-juvenated this Spring) and ahead of Ethier with Manny at Cleanup.  This is all subject to change, but that lineup followed by Loney and Blake would give excellent balance.

1. Furcal  L/R
2. Kemp  R
3. Ethier L
4. Ramirez  R
5. Loney L
6. Blake R
7. DeWitt L
8. Ellis R

• That’s about as good of a balance you can get.
• It is appearing more and more likely that Clayton Kershaw will be the Dodgers Opening Day Starter.
• Think about this:  Kuroda and Padilla are pitching for new contracts and Kershaw and Billingsley are just growing up.
• Vin Scully allegedly fell getting out of bed and is in the hospital.  Let’s hope it’s just a bump.
• Blake DeWitt has started every game at 2B.  He’s certainly more than a .250 hitter.  He could be a real surprise.  His defense remains a work-in-progress and he’s just going to have to play.  He’ll make some mistakes, but he is a ballplayer and will learn from them.  Give him time.
• Belliard hasn’t played much….
• Jamey Carroll appears slotted to be the Dodgers  backup SS, having logged several innings there already.  Hu and Green are as good as gone…
• Manny appears to be hitting his stride.  His HR was nice and the catch he made in LF, while not as good as some described, was decent.
• The 5th Spot in the rotation is Eric Stults to lose, but others are nipping at his heels.  I doubt that the Dodgers want to put Monasterios there right now, although he is looking good.
• Haeger, while not looking bad, is not looking good…
• Someone asked who our 3B of the future is.  Blake DeWitt?  It depends how he does at 2B.  The Dodgers hope Pedro Baez can be that guy, but I have my doubts.  DeWitt will have to have 20+ HR power to play 3B, but I think he will develop into that.  DeJesus could be our 2B…
• Say what you will about Ned’s trades, but you have to remember, it’s not just NED.  Ned Colletti has the largest cadre of advisors and assistant GM’s of anyone in baseball.  They “brainstorm” about this stuff and he gets their input before “pulling the trigger” on any deal.  They have signed some “under-the-radar” types like Saito, Belisario, Weaver, Ramon Ortiz and now Carlos Monasterios who have been good pickups.  Slam them on Santana and Bell when (IF) those guys pan out.  While it will never be publicly discussed, I guarantee that a large faction of Dodger organizational advisors were not enamored with Bell and Santana.  The jury is still out – Josh Bell is hitting .167 and Carlos Santana is hitting .250 this Spring.  There’s still plenty of time for them over the next few years, but so far, neither has been the second coming of the Bambino.