How can I talk about the Casey Blake trade and not comment on the biggest mid-season trade the Dodgers have ever made? 

First, there was shock.  The Dodgers were never mentioned in the Manny trade rumors.  Even when they were first mentioned around noon today, it was only from The Boston Globe and SI.com.  It wasn’t until after the trade was finalized that it was finally mentioned on mlb.com, Yahoo, and other sites.  The Dodgers had been mentioned a few days ago as talking to the Red Sox about Manny but it didn’t sound like anything serious.

Well, what do I think about the trade, other than it being perhaps the biggest blockbuster trade the Dodgers have ever pulled off?  It was great. Simple as that. The Dodgers pick up Manny Ramirez without giving up Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier.  The Dodgers get Manny Ramirez without giving up any of the other young Dodger talent such as Russell Martin, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, James Loney, or Clayton Kershaw.  The Dodgers address the needs of 2008 without mortgaging the future.  They give up Andy LaRoche and a minor leaguer.

I’m a big fan of the youth movement the Dodgers have going on. It has been a long time since the Dodgers have brought up so much talent through their minor league system.  This is the Dodger way.  However, there are those Dodger fans out there who not only love the youth movement but practically worship it.  These fans are lamenting the loss of Andy LaRoche.  It’s a reaction I don’t understand.  Do the Dodgers need to hold on to every single young prospect?  Isn’t the whole point to win a championship?  If we can put ourselves in a position to not only win the division, but to win playoff games and maybe a championship this year as well as others, isn’t it worth it?  Especially one that doesn’t involve losing the young talent that is currently producing? C’mon, people, give me a break.  If you can’t support a deal like this, then what exactly do you want?

Anyway, the acquisition of Manny Ramirez will give the Dodgers what Andruw Jones was unable to give them. The Dodgers now have the power bat they have been lacking all season.  Yes, they have a crowded outfield with five legitimate starters but that’s a dilemma that a number of teams would kill to have.

Good move.  It would have been nice to pick up Greg Maddux too, but I can’t be too greedy.

We all know how the Dodgers played in the first half. We all know
the strengths and weaknesses and what needs to be improved upon in the
second half of the season. We all know what the players on the field
have been doing and what they need to do better.  The question for me
is what does management need to do to contribute to a successful and
winning 2008 season? This is the question that I will attempt to answer.

First
and foremost, Dodger management needs to decide how important the 2008
season is to the organization.  Is winning in 2008 worth sacrificing
2009, 2010, and beyond?  Are the Dodgers prepared to go for the gold in
2008 or continue to go with the youth movement in hopes of having many
good years in the near future?  Those are good questions and there are
great arguments to both sides.  Personally, I’m a win now kind of
person.  I’d rather make some sacrifices to get a championship now and
worry about the future after the season.  It’s a sort of carpe diem
attitude – “seize the season”. 

However, I must admit that the thought of holding on to our young
talent long enough to enjoy many years of winning and maybe even start
a dynasty is tempting. The Dodgers patiently went with a youth movement
in the early 1970′s and as a result, Dodger fans enjoyed many great
years, including the famous long-running infield of Garvey, Cey, Lopes,
and Russell along with other Dodger greats who contributed to four
pennants and a championship.  GM Ned Colletti has some tough choices to
make in the next few weeks and I don’t envy him.

If the Dodgers
decide to stay the course with the youth movement, then I have nothing
more to say about 2008. They will have a team of talented young
prospects that will mature over the next few years, hopefully making
the Dodgers one of the teams to beat in the National League for years
to come.  And they may even make the playoffs this year given the way
the NL West has collectively stumbled into the All-Star break. That
alone may be an argument for continuing to preserve the youth.

However,
if the Dodgers are serious about not only winning in 2008, but going
deep into the postseason, then they have a lot of work to do.  There is
not a lot of panic in the Dodger world due to the fact that they are
only one game out of first.  But the reality is that the Dodgers are
far from being a first-place team.  They are three games below .500 and
are lucky to be where they are.  The Dodger record would be good enough
for last place in the AL East.  And for a team that hopes to match up
well with teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, or Cubs in the playoffs,
then there is much work to be done.

First and foremost, they need a number one starter.  They need
a pitcher who can be the ace of the starting rotation – someone who is
their go-to guy when they need to win a big game.  They need a pitcher
who is almost a guarantee to give a quality start on any given night. 
This type of pitcher really earns his salary in the postseason when he
can potentially give you three starts in a seven-game series.  Jason
Schmidt was signed by Colletti to fill this role but shoulder problems
have sidelined him ever since he joined the Dodgers. Brad Penny is
currently the “ace” but has never been consistent enough to really earn
the title and is no more reliable in a must-win game than any of the
other starters.  Chad Billingsley will probably be this type of pitcher
in the future and often pitches like it but is still maturing as a
pitcher.  Hiroki Kuroda may be this type of pitcher once he fully
acclimates to pitching in the United States.  But those are all ifs and
somedays.  They need someone to step into this role now.  The problem
is that they have bigger holes to fill.

The first hole they need
to plug up is shortstop, or more specifically, Rafael Furcal’s bat.  If
that bat is found at a position other than shortstop then so be it.  I
don’t need to expand on this too much as everybody knows that
management is actively pursuing a shortstop even as we speak. 

The
next hole they need to fill is Andruw Jones’s spot in the lineup.  I
believe Andruw Jones will get it together and find his swing.  What I’m
not so sure of is whether it’s going to happen this season.  If the
Dodgers were 8 games up, I would say to give Andruw all the time he
needs.  But the Dodgers are fighting for the division and can’t afford
to have a .160 hitter in the lineup for much longer. I say you give him
a little more time (a couple more weeks) and if he does not show
significant progress, I think you have to write him off in 2008  If you
can’t bring in somebody from the outside, then an outfield of Pierre,
Kemp, and Ethier is the way to go.

The loss of Takashi Saito
is obviously another hole to fill but I think the Dodgers have the arms
in the pen to replace him while he is out.  They won’t be Saito but
they won’t be Brett Tomko either.  If nobody works out, then you have
to make a move.

The last problem they need to deal with is
players who aren’t fully on board with Joe Torre’s game plan. Like
owner Frank McCourt said recently, they have a wealth of coaching
experience in that dugout. The coaching staff is about as good as
you’re gonna get.  If players aren’t going to listen to these coaches,
then they won’t listen to anybody. This isn’t a team that is going to
blow people out and score a lot of runs. This is a team that needs to
work hard to manufacture runs and it takes a game plan and smart
hitting to accomplish this.  Any hitter who isn’t willing to do their
part and be a team player has to be shown the door no matter how
talented he may be. 

I realize this is partially a wish
list as it will be near impossible to do all the above.  At the very
least, the Dodgers need to pick up a good solid bat from outside the
organization, bench Jones if necessary, and make sure they have a team
of players who are all on the same page and who are committed to
winning. That may be enough to get them where they need to be.

I
will leave you with this….(best read with the music for John Lennon’s
Imagine playing in your head). Imagine the return of Rafael Furcal in
early September.  It’s possible.  Imagine Andruw Jones finally getting
his swing together. I wonder if you can. Imagine Takashi Saito not
needing surgery.  He’s going to give it a shot.  Imagine Nomar stays
healthy.  All we need is three months. Imagine Brad Penny comes back
from arm soreness to pitch like he did last year.  It isn’t
hard to do.  Imagine Jason Schmidt returning to the Dodger starting
rotation.  You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. I’m
watching the game right now and the count is 2 and 1.  Okay, I had to find a
rhyme.

It is still possible.  Nobody is officially out for the
season. Some of these dreams may be a stretch but it is still possible
that the Dodgers can be at full strength going down the stretch drive
with the team that Ned Colletti put together at the beginning of this
season.  What I am trying to say is that the Dodgers have upside.
Serious upside. Do not count this team out for the season or for being
a factor in October.  

Not to take anything away from Hiroki Kuroda’s masterpiece
last night, but what stuck in my mind from last night’s game was not
the best pitching performance of the year by a Dodger pitcher and one
of the best in recent years, but it was the words of announcer Vin
Scully on last night’s television broadcast just before the 7th inning:

“Normally on the telecast we talk about “This Day in
Baseball.” I don’t mean to sound grumpy or grouchy, but I can’t believe
what I didn’t hear. I listened to the news on the radio for
about an hour and fifteen minutes today–did not hear one word about
what this day really means. June the 6th, 1944. Do the names Omaha, or
Utah, Gold, Juno, Sword, do they mean anything? They’re the beaches at
Normandy. Sure, today was D-Day, the invasion of Europe, when thousands
of soldiers gave their lives so that we could be free. I’ll be darned
if I saw any real publicity about it at all. Please don’t let that
happen again next year. Please? Yeah, this day.”

I didn’t know it was the anniversary of D-Day and it bothers me that I
didn’t know.  Our civilization will not last long if we neglect to
remember the heavy sacrifices that were made to secure the freedom and
protection we have – freedom and protection that allow us to enjoy
pleasant diversions such as a baseball game.  Many people around the
world live in fear for their lives.  We do not and there are a
number of people who made that possible.

(The transcription above was copied from www.sonsofstevegarvey.com)

As the Dodgers fly home tonight after their dismal 1-5 road trip ended
with a nationally televised defeat at the hands of Johan Santana and
the Mets, many Dodger fans may be asking if this year’s Dodger team is
all that it’s cracked up to be.  As the Dodgers fall two games
below .500, many fans may be asking if Joe Torre is going to be enough
to make a significant impact on a team that doesn’t look any better
than the team that finished in 4th place less than a year ago. These
are good questions.

The answer to both of them is yes and yes. Strictly in terms of raw
talent, this Dodger team is as good as any team in all of
baseball.  So what’s the problem?  The problem is that most
of the talent is young, inexperienced talent.  Yes, there is no
question that players like Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, James Loney,
Andre Ethier, and Jonathan Broxton are ready for the big leagues. 
They have proven it but they haven’t fully matured as players. 
And as each veteran goes down with an injury, that makes this Dodger
team all the younger.

Ability is one aspect of baseball.  It is something that is
developed in high school and college, and improved in the minor leagues
to a point where a player is capable of making an impact on a major
league team.  But there are intangibles like the ability to
control emotions and deal with pressure, how to approach an at-bat with
runners in scoring position, how to pitch to different types of hitters
in various situations, and certain types of fundamentals that are just
as important as ability but can only be learned from experience. 
In the past, many of these things were learned in the minor
leagues.  However, in a day and age where players are increasingly
rushed to the major leagues before they are fully ready, these things
must be learned at the major league level. 

The Dodgers are loaded with talent but you are not seeing the full
scope of this talent.  An example is Matt Kemp.  Kemp has hit
over .300 the past season but how many of those hits have been wiped
away by baserunning mistakes such as the one he made tonight in the
first inning? Granted, he did drive in a run but pitchers like Johan
Santana may only give you one or two opportunities in a game to score
runs and a mistake like the one Kemp made tonight are costly.  I
am confident that Kemp and his young, talented teammates will mature as
players sonner than later but until then this team will be inconsistent
and will fall short of it’s full potential.

One thing that may be stalling this process is the fact that there is
probably a certain comfort level that these rookie players are
experiencing that players on other teams may not.  When a slight
majority of your team consists of players your age, many of whom are
players that you played with in the minor leagues, you are likely to be
less fearful and intimidated than if you were called up to a team
filled with veteran ballplayers.  While this confidence can be a
good thing, it also can stunt the growth of certain types of players
who may be tempted to think they have made it as they play
with their buddies from the minors. Without that healthy intimidation
of playing on a team full of experienced veterans, younger players may
not have as stong of a desire to impress their veteran teammates or
feel the need to learn from them.

Grady Little was brought in to manage the Dodgers because management
felt his personality and laid back style was a good fit for what was
going to be a very young team. Joe Torre is essentially the same type
of manager but came to the Dodgers with the resume and experience to
command the respect of all his players.  He has a brilliant
baseball mind and is providing the leadership and guidance this young
team needs.  He is the perfect man to lead this Dodger team and it
won’t be long before fans begin to see the fruits of his influence on
this club.

Will the Dodgers be the team that it is cracked up to be?  Most
certainly.  Will it happen in 2008?  It may not. This Dodger
team is technically in a rebuilding phase.  The good news is that
like the brand new stadium sitting just behind Shea Stadium’s
left-field bleachers, it is almost complete. But unlike the new
stadium, which will open in 2009, this one may just open up a little
earlier. 

I am excited to announce that my wife Sharon has just delivered our
first child, a beautiful girl named Savannah Rose Park.  She was
born at 8:59 a.m. and weighed in at 6lbs. and 3oz.

And it could not have been more fitting that a Park was on the mound
for the Dodgers that afternoon helping the Dodgers defeat the Angels.

To see pictures, check out my other blog, http://savannahscene.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to taking Savannah to her first Dodger game later this summer.

Seven months ago I wrote an article titled “Perplexed”.  That was
the word used by Jeff Kent to describe his feelings about the Dodgers
and their “late-season collapse” that saw them get swept by the
Rockies in 4 games.  Most would agree that the fatal blow was
dealt by
Rockies first baseman Todd Helton in the second game of a doubleheader
at Coors Field, as he drove a Takashi Saito pitch into the stands for a
walk-off home run.  Helton’s blast pushed the Dodgers’ postseason
hopes from the category of very possible to unlikely.  The wind
having been knocked out of the Dodger sails, the team went through the
motions over the next week and a half as it played out the schedule and
made plans for an October previously reserved for baseball.

Seven months later on a warm, sunny afternoon at Dodger Stadium, Todd
Helton made his way to the plate in the 9th inning to face Takashi
Saito.  With the game tied at two and a runner in scoring
position, Helton was again in a position to make Saito’s life
miserable.  Instead, Saito got Helton to pop up and wound up
getting out of the inning. The Dodgers went on to win the game and
sweep the series – the exact opposite of the scenario that played out
in Denver months before. 

It’s a new year…a new situation…and a new manager.  And not
just any old manager but perhaps the most revered manager in baseball -
Joe Torre.  The future looks bright as the Dodgers begin their
second 50 years in Los Angeles.  Despite a poor start that saw the
Dodgers fall 7 games out of first in just the first few weeks of the
season, the Dodgers are finally showing signs of life as they have now
won 5 of the last 7 games, and for the first time this season are
looking like the team they were in 2006 and for much of 2007.

With the Dodgers starting the season picking up right where last season
left off, I decided that it’s time to close the book on 2007.  So
what happened?  Well, first of all, they did not collapse. They
had a very bad series in Colorado.  The losing that happened after
that point was the result of Grady Little playing his young players due
to the meaningless nature of the remaining games.  The problems
began long before the flight to Denver.  That series should have
hurt the Dodgers, not ended their season.  The problems were there
when the Dodgers entered September having to play virtually flawless
baseball in order to climb out of a hole that saw them six games back
in late August.

So what was the problem before September?  With a few exceptions,
the players on the Dodgers simply underperformed.  Rafael Furcal
was hurt all season and was not able to perform anywhere near the level
of the previous season.  Juan Pierre struggled and was not able to
get on base as much as the Dodgers needed him to.  With the speed
taken out of Furcal’s game, the Dodgers desperately needed Pierre and
his speed on the bases.  Nomar Garciaparra’s power was virtually
non-existent.  Andre Ethier struggled through much of the
season.  The usually durable Derek Lowe played hurt and had an
off-year. Brett Tomko lost his spot in the rotation due to his
effectiveness.  Jason Schmidt missed most of the year after
shoulder surgery.  There are other examples.  Among the
Dodgers that did meet expectations were Jeff Kent, Brad Penny, and Luis
Gonzalez.  However, the National League West is not the weak
division it was a few years ago.  A team now has to be functioning
on all cylinders if they want a shot at postseason and this
unfortunately was not the case last season.

If you look at each player on the Dodgers and how they performed
compared to expectations, it isn’t so perplexing.  It was just a
good old-fashioned off-year.  If it weren’t for the surprising
play of the young players like James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Chad
Billingsley, the games in Colorado would not have been meaningful to
begin with.

But 2007 is over and done with.  A new era of Dodger baseball is
beginning.  The future looks bright and this Dodger team has the
talent to do some exciting things this year and the years to come.

Judging by the fan treatment Andruw Jones has received thus far this season and by listening to sports talk radio, it is clear that many Dodger fans are upset and at the very least worried about the performance of the recently acquired outfielder.  The Dodgers have been struggling offensively in the first couple weeks of the season and Jones and his salary have been the primary object of fan frustration.

So it may surprise you to know that I am utterly ambivalent about Andruw Jones’ performance so far this season.  In fact, I’m actually fighting the urge to drift off to sleep as I type this.  Why?  Because of (hold on…I need to yawn) the fact that this happens all the time.  Okay, let me sit up straight in my chair and get into this.

First of all, it’s way, way, way, way, way too early in the season to be worried and frustrated over a player who is in a slump.  The Dodgers haven’t even completed a full homestand yet. The tax deadline has yet to pass and the hills of Southern California are still green.  It is not uncommon for hitters to struggle getting out of the starting gate.  For some hitters, this is an annual event.  Remember Shawn Green?  It usually took him two months to get going.  This is a particularly common occurrence with players who are playing on a brand new team.  A recent host on Dodger Talk brought up several Dodger examples from the past including Darryl Strawberry and Kirk Gibson, who put up poor April numbers but went on to have good first seasons with the club.  Another recent example is Rafael Furcal, who took a lot of heat for his struggles in the early part of the 2006 season, only to pick it up and help lead the Dodgers into the playoffs. 

Second of all, there is a rule that I mentioned in a July 2006 blog article about the Dodgers when they were in the middle of a slump that saw them lose 13 out of 14, and that is that no team is as good as they are during a winning streak and no team is as bad as they are during a losing streak.  In the long run, teams put up the type of performance that is consistent with their overall talent and skill level.  The same holds true for hitters.  Just as Angel second baseman Howie Kendrick does not figure to continue his .500 pace, Andruw Jones will not continue to hit .100.  Just as Howie Kendrick’s .500 average is not the true picture of how he will do this season, so Jones’ .100 is not an accurate picture of how he will play this season.  Each player will end up with numbers that are compatible with his abilities. 

The six-month long baseball season is a roller coaster ride.  Baseball teams and players do not enjoy the same level of consistency as their counterparts in the NFL or NBA.  Success is demonstrated and recognized when observed over a long period of time.  Many fans choose to ride the roller coaster up and down all season long – joyful and estatic when their team is doing well; woeful and depressed when they aren’t.  I choose not to ride it.  Why is this?  Because I know my team and what they likely will accomplish.  The Dodgers are a talented team and have the tools to put together a very good season.  Barring injuries, that is the expectation I have.  I also know that Andruw Jones has demonstrated year after year that he is a very good player, both on the field and at the plate.  Because of that, I have no concern whatsoever that he will get it together.  He’s earned my confidence and should earn yours as well.

So my message to Dodgers fans who are booing Andruw Jones (and also to Red Sox fans who are booing Big Papi over in Boston), is to give it a rest!  We got a long way to go and an exciting season up ahead, so relax and enjoy the ride.

Okay, I’m starting to get sleepy again….

 
You ask anybody to tell you their favorite day of the year and you will likely hear Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, maybe 4th of July or New Year’s.  For me, it is Opening Day.  I wake up on the morning of Opening Day with the same joy and excitement I had as a kid waking up on Christmas morning.  A brand new season is beginning.  It’s a fresh start for teams that did not play well or finish well in the previous season.  On Opening Day, anything can happen.  Opening Day is when the games finally count.  A seemingly never-ending string of meaningless exhibition games has finally come to an end.  Managers are managing to win. Personnel moves on the field are dictated not by the need for a player workout or to try out a young prospect but are based on whatever it’s going to take to win that game.  This is one day where the usual Monday unplesantness and dreariness is replaced by anticipation and excitement.

This season opener is especially exciting for Dodger fans with among other things, all the fanfare and celebration surrounding their 50th anniversary in Los Angeles.  The preseason consisted of a float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, a trip to China, a brief return to managing by Tommy Lasorda, a bittersweet celebration of their 60 years in Vero Beach, and a three game series against the Red Sox highlighted by a memorable night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.  I had the opportunity to attend this game with both my father and father-in-law.  The record-breaking size of the crowd made the game all the more exciting but also contributed to us not getting there until the 6th inning.  (Brief commentary:  My local fair has more shuttle buses than Dodger Stadium had on Saturday.  Were they not able to borrow schoolbuses not being used over the weekend? Okay, commentary over).  Despite the inconvenience, we had a great time.  James Loney’s ”moon shot” over the left-field fence made the whole trip worthwhile.  I can now close my eyes and envision Wally Moon hitting one of his shots I hear so much about.  I’ve often talked to people who remember attending a game at the Coliseum with their father.  I’m thrilled that I can now say the same thing – with two of them!

This season is also exciting because of the addition of manager Joe Torre.  Coupled with the talent this team has, expectations are high.  I usually give an analysis of the coming season listing strengths and weaknesses, etc. but I will have to save that for another blog.  Come to think of it, I also owe you my analysis of why the Dodgers finished in 4th.  Boy, I am behind!

This winter went by quicker than any winter I can remember. The speed at which the weeks flew by over the past few months was at least somewhat aided by the fact that baseball never really left center stage after the Red Sox completed their four-game sweep of the Rockies in October’s Fall Classic.
In November, you had the Yankee managerial soap opera that resulted in the departure of Joe Torre and the arrival of Joe Girardi. The soap opera had a thrilling conclusion for Dodger fans as they watched the recently departed Torre suddenly make the move west to take over for Grady Little, who resigned unexpectedly shortly after the season ended. The managerial changes in baseball were soon followed by the winter meetings and free agent signings, with the big headline being the potential trade of Twins pitcher Johan Santana. And then there was the Mitchell Report. The fallout from the release of that list of accused steroid and HGH users has dominated sports headlines ever since. Other than the Patriots amazing run at perfection in football, baseball was the number one topic – even if it was for a not so positive reason.

While investigators sort out the details of steroid use over the past couple decades and baseball begins the process of cleaning up the sport, a fresh new era of baseball is beginning. The sounds of steroid allegations, claims of guilt or innocence, apologies, and debate over who is and who isn’t lying are now being muffled by the crack of the bat and fastballs hitting catchers’ gloves in baseball fields throughout the country. Spring has arrived. The game itself is now becoming a distraction – a pleasant one.

Play ball!