Jason Schmidt - Yahoo.com

I’ve really been watching up here to see if there were any stories on Jason Schmidt making his return. The Giants seem brilliant to let him go and let the Dodgers pay him a lot of money for him to be injured. Obviously the Giants had a hunch and they were absolutely right.  Ironically, I guess it is old news up here, because there just aren’t a lot of articles on him.

Jason’s first two games were not good, then he had a great third game. For a second it seemed that the Dodgers wouldn’t need more starting pitching because Jason was ready….

Well that was until tonight. He didn’t make it through 4 innings and he gave up 4 runs. Not a great line.

The Dodgers have a interesting decision here. Do you keep him pitching while healthy to eat up innings, or do you demote him or let him go. For over 10 million a year, it’s hard to just demote him if he is healthy. At the same time, it doesn’t seem like he has great stuff. The experiment can work as long as the Dodgers keep the lead in the West, but if that starts slipping, every game counts.

It is like he is in Spring Training in terms of innings, so if he is healthy, they have to let him see if he can hit a rhythm…but with a short leash.  Good thing they got another reliever at the trade deadline…they’ re going to need George Sherrill until Schmidt figures it out.

If you didn’t see that my last post included discounts to next weeks Dodgers/Giants series, click here.  30% off is a great deal.

What do you think – keep Schmidt pitching?

To conclude the Top 7 Things Learned at Camelback Ranch, I thought I would have some fun and give a quiz. Part of the fun of going to Spring Training is seeing the players up close, and trying to recognize them outside of uniform. Here’s a little test to see if you can pick out the players. I’ll try to start easy and get harder. Answers at the bottom.

A)

B)

C)

D)

E) (Hard One)

So, how did you do?

Here’s the answers:

A) Jason Schmidt B) Randy Wolf C) Blake DeWitt  D) Ned Colletti  E) Andre Ethier (left) and Don Mattingly (Right)

Thanks for the memories Camelback Ranch.  Great First Season and we’ll see you next year.

So special thanks to all of you checking the site and waiting for a new post.  My son had his 3rd birthday this weekend, so everything stopped for the big family shindig.  An easter egg hunt, pin the tail on the donkey, and my son finally able to blow out the candles…sweet times.

So when I heard about Manny going down with a hamstring injury, all that came to mind was Denny’s “Moon’s over my Hammy.”  I can’t tell you why, but it still cracks me up.  In a way though, it totally works.  The world is moons over Manny’s hammy.  Think about it.  It’s the only thing you hear about the Dodgers right now no matter where you live.  Jason Schmidt battling back was a blip on the screen, but not compared to Manny.

I’m not too worried up here.  He’s fresh, he was late to spring training and he just needs time.  He could rest for the next 3 weeks and he’d be fine.  I’m still relishing the fact that Giant’s fans up here still wish he was a Giant and know the Dodgers got a great player.  We’ll let him take his time and get back to it.

Come to think about it, maybe Manny should go to Dennys?  Maybe that would help his hammy….

Superbowl Logo from NFL.com

So I’m sitting here waiting for the big game to start, with a few minutes to add a post. I always love the Superbowl, one because I’m a football fan, but more because it means one thing: Baseball season is finally here again. Truly, as football ends, fans turn back to baseball. Sounds good to me.

So as I looked at the Cardinals and Steelers, it’s pretty clear why the two teams are there. The Steelers have the best defense, and a very good offense. The Cardinals have an explosive offense, and very solid defense. I’m totally rooting for the underdog Cardinals in this game. I love Kurt Warner and think he is great for football, and life in general. He’s a true hero kids can root for.

So as I tried to tie the Superbowl back to the Dodgers, I started to get a little discouraged. Look at the two teams – their best traits are solid defense and explosive offense. As of this day in the off-season – how many of those do the Dodgers have…none. Yeah, none.

If they get Manny, they could have the explosive offense, but still not to the likes of the Rays, or Yankees, or even the Phillies.

As for Defense, going with Furcal and DeWitt, gives some, but definitely not top tier. It’s even worse if you add pitching to the mix. So does that mean the Dodgers will be bad? Not necessarily, but I do believe it will be hard to win the big show given the team they have right now. I think it will be hard even if they get Manny. I just don’t feel the pitching will be strong enough. If Schmidt comes back, they’ll be closer, but even if Billingsley becomes Lincecum, they’ll still need a strong number 2 and 3.

We’ll see as the season starts – but Colletti still has work to do.

Well – the Steelers just settled for a Field Goal. I haven’t see all the commercials yet, but that first Doritos commercial was hilarious.

Comments on my Dodgers – Cardinals/Steelers comparison. Let me know.

Mark Loretta from mlb.com

Casey Blake from mlb.com

Rafael Furcal from MLB.com

So it’s been a little while since a post since I was traveling.  I took my family down to So. Cal to see the family for Christmas.  We drove down the coast on the way down and then through the valley on the way up.  My kids Grandpa and Grandma had over 1′ of snow in Crestline, so it was great fun to play in the snow.  I knew I was getting close to L.A. when I saw a Dodgers license plate holder in Ventura at a gas station.  I just don’t see enough of those up here.

So since I last posted, the Dodgers signed Mark Loretta, Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal.

First – Loretta.  It’s a nice pick up.  Nothing against him – he’s been a good ball player for a while.  Hopefully off the bench he can hit in a pinch and help the team.  I still think Garciaparra off the bench could be better option, but I bet he still wants to play consistently, and not just off the bench.  Honestly Nomar, you should consider off the bench until you can get rid of the reputation that your legs give out too fast, then go for the full time contract again.

Second – Blake.  I love Casey Blake.  He got mixed reviews in L.A., but he’s a solid player.  2 years would have been better, but at least there is a solid 3rd baseman for 3 years.  He’s not going to be A-rod, but he did great for the Dodgers this last year at times, especially with clutch hits.  He is streaky…but he’s always been that way.  He will be solid.

Finally – Furcal.  There were lots of stories around, but the thing I love is that he wanted to be a Dodger.  It’s obvious he wanted to go to the Dodgers, but wanted a minimum price.  The Braves gave the prices, so he was considering them.   Then the Dodgers realized they would rather have him than anybody else, so they met the price.  Furcal got the team and price he wanted, and the deal was done.  Since he wants to be there, he should be fine.  I’m betting his work in the winter league really influenced this, since his body seems to be back intact…pun intended.

In all three cases – the Dodgers are really re-creating the team from last year.  Now if they can just get some pitching and then Manny – they will be good to go.  The focus has been on Manny, but the Dodgers really need a #1 horse.  Actually they need a #1 and #2 in case one of the other guys goes down.  I’m starting to wonder if they think Jason Schmidt will pitch this year as they didn’t go as hard after C.C. as I thought they would.  We’ll see.  At least they are working on the holes.