Dave Roberts from SFGiants.com - Eric Risbert - AP

So the Giants released Dave Roberts today.  The Giants decided that with his injuries slowing him down, and young guys already showing promise that it was best to just eat his 6.5 million dollar salary this year. (See article here)

I offer a salute to Dave Roberts because I always liked him as a player.  He was by far my favorite player on the Dodgers when he played for them.  He played like I always loved to; with speed.  He would get on the bases and mess with the pitchers just like I used to try and do.  He always had a great success rate swiping bags and I didn’t think anyone other than Brett Butler could lay down a drag bunt from the left side like Dave Roberts could.

I was truly distraught when Paul DePodesta cleaned house that year and traded Dave Roberts away.  Dave always had one achilles heal and that was injuries.  When he played, he could field and run, but it always seemed like he couldn’t ever avoid injuries long enough to get up to speed for a long period of time.  He was horrible for me as a fantasy player.  Yeah, he could get SBs for you, but you never knew when he would play, so you never knew to play him.  Even worse if you left him in all the time, you lost points from other guys because he would suddenly be scratched from the lineup.

Even though he was traded away the fact that he went to the Red Sox that year was sweet justice.  No matter what anyone says, I believe that if Dave Roberts doesn’t steal that bag in the Championship Series, that they don’t eventually go on to win the World Series.  That was the spark.  That was the make it or break it play.  The moneyball Red Sox suddenly had to depend on speed and they traded for him just for that purpose.  Everyone watching that game knew he was sent in to steal a bag.  Everyone knew he was going.  Every viewer, every player on the other team, and especially the catcher.  That’s what I loved about that scene.  It was the best against the best.  Speed versus the catcher’s strong arm.  The catcher was tipped off, he just had to throw him out.  The best part was he couldn’t.  Dave was fast enough to steal the bag and the momentum just kept rising.  The Red Sox tied it and the rest is history.  (Here’s a cool article re-living that moment in Red Sox history.)

Dave Roberts went on to play for the Padres and Giants, but I never minded and always respected him.  When he’s one of your favorite players (and called one of the nicest guys in baseball), it really doesn’t matter what team he played on.

I have a good hunch someone will give him another chance next year, probably just for the off the bench hit or stolen base.  If they do, you bet I’ll still root for him.

Thanks for the memories Dave and happy trails.  It was great seeing you locally and someday I’ll teach my son to steal bags and mess with pitchers just like you did.

Jose Canseco by Michael Buckner/Getty Images

So this whole A-rod thing is really too bad. Not totally surprising, but still too bad. I really like A-rod. He is just flat out a stud. He is ripped, he can hit like crazy, and he is clutch (during the regular season that is.) I was glad to see that he at least copped up to it today for his time with the Rangers.

I got to see A-rod take batting practice at the Home Run Derby in San Francisco a couple of years ago. I won’t ever forget him because of the way the ball jumped off his bat. Other guys could hit. They were all All-Stars, but there was something about the way he clubbed it that was different than anybody else. It was just a studly swing and the balls just sailed through the park.

I’m sure this will pass for him, as people will still want to see him play. Enough about him though because he isn’t the true purpose of this post.

Look who’s right again – Mr. Canseco. Talk about an interesting guy. He was a cool Bash Brother, but now he’s just bizarre. He obviously needs a better financial manager if he’s doing boxing matches for money, but the guy has forever shaped baseball. Even more, he was right. People called out his motives, and it does seem like he sold people out to make money on his books, but there wasn’t any reason to lie.

It was like in 24 two episodes ago. Mrs. Matumbo says that they should trust Jack Bower because there is no reason for him to lie. Jose Canseco has nothing to lose. His reputation is whatever people want, but he is a whistle-blower, and he is right on…as odd as he is.

I thought this article on Canseco was interesting in that he foreshadows more will come out on A-rod. I do think it’s funny that Alex only did it when he was with the Rangers. Why stop when he went to the Yankees? If anything, I would think the pressure would be more in New York to produce than Texas. I don’t know, it seems fishy to me.

I still would love a chance to have a meal with Jose Canseco. I think you’d have stories for a lifetime.

Paul DePodesta from Aarongleeman.com

So special thanks to mlbrumors.com for giving me the hint on Paul DePodesta’s Blog.  First off, who knew he had a blog.  Second – it’s pretty interesting.  Any time you can hear live the real voice of a baseball executive, it’s pretty interesting.  This entry happens to be about a recent arbitration case.

So Paul DePodesta will always live in infamy among Dodgerfans.  I know living up here, I didn’t know what to think.  He was great with the A’s because the A’s were great.  They continually brought up good teams with low payroll, and “Moneyball” was the name of the game.

When the Dodgers first got him, I was immediately worried.  I knew he was all about the stats, which was very different than the Dodgers were used to.  He did all right with Kent and Drew, but he shot himself in the foot with “The trade.”  The trade that sent away the beloved Paul LoDuca forever turned the fans against him.  LoDuca was the fans player and even if he faded down the stretch, he was gritty and people loved him.  Paul DePodesta was trying to get pitching, but he derailed fan momentum.

I personally was most disappointed with the Dave Roberts trade.  I loved the speed and fact that you knew that if he was on base – he was going to run.  I knew Dave Roberts leaving meant the end of speed at the top of the lineup, but also the shift to “Moneyball” which didn’t value speed.  It meant the spontaneous side of Ddoger baseball was leaving.  Ironically, the other “Moneyball” team the Red Sox, grabbed Roberts and used his speed to win the World Series.  LIfe is funny sometimes.

Well – Paul moved on, sadly to my cousin’s team the Padres and even though I belive he knows baseball, the Padres haven’t shown much promise.  I know they have to cut payroll for the owner, so that probably is the biggest factor.

Long story short, If Paul is blogging, I’ll check it out.  I’ll add it to the links as I’m sure it will be interesting to check as the year goes on.

Jack Cust from MLB.com

So Jack Cust signed a 2.8 million dollar deal with the Oakland Athletics this week. For most Dodger fans, you may not even know this guy. But I love this guy. I like to think as him as the working mans baseball player. In the era of Andruw Jones making a ton and not doing anything…Jack Cust paid is dues and is finally getting some good money.
Great article here on his real story.  He spent 10 years in the minors trying to get up, and when he finally did, all he did is hit homeruns…and strikeout.  That’s the thing with Cust – it is feast or famine, or walk…which is why the A’s like him.  He can hit like crazy, but he also has holes.

I think that’s why I root for him.  He’s like all us working people – he can be the hero, but he’s got holes too.  He won’t ever be Manny Ramirez, but that’s ok.  Even more, I’m glad that someone like him who can hit the ball 400′ can get paid for entertaining all the rest of us.    We all know baseball players will get paid high, but at 2.5 mil a year, it doesn’t seem crazy extravagant.  Anyone who spent that long in the minors, should get some money like the pros.

So with Holliday, Giambi and Cust, the A’s now have 3 guys who can hit 30 homeruns.  They put some speedsters up front, and they’ll have a formidable offense.

Saito from L.A. Times - Allen J. Schaben

So Takashi Saito signed with the Red Sox this last week, ending his time as a Dodger.  I don’t quite know why this happened.  Saito was a stud.  He had elbow problems last year, but when he was on – he was lights out.  He was different than Gagne, but in some ways he was better.  Gagne was all about the drama and the look.  Saito was all about just getting it done.  Gagne always had guys on base to make it interesting, Saito just struck them out.  He was surgically accurate, and he gave Dodger fans great peace when he came in.

I’ve wrote previously that I want to one of his last games in SF last year, and it was reassuring to see him back and close the door.  He ended up not being fully ready for the playoffs, but even Giant’s fans knew he was good.  I have a friend who is a big Giant’s fan and Saito was always his Fantasy Baseball closer because he knew how good he was.

This whole thing is a little confusing.  It appears like the Dodgers just let him walk away.  I’m trying to read inbetween the lines, and the Dodgers seem to be on a trend.  Cut older, injury prone players.  Kent, Nomar, Penny, Saito.  All guys who had injuries, and who the Dodgers think will have more.  The fact that the Red Sox picked up Saito and Penny is real interesting.  They wouldn’t just pick up guys they thought would be injured, but they did only sign them to 1 yr deals.

The real problem with this is that now Broxton is the default closer.  Broxton is a great setup guy, but he hasn’t shown he’s Saito material yet.   This is especially true against the Giant’s last year.  They lit him up at the end of the season.  He is a hard thrower, but he can be hit and they usually hit it far.  The Dodgers lost Hoffman and thought Saito would call them back, and he didn’t.  I still think they need a real closer or else the bullpen won’t be near as strong as last year.