Manny Ramirez - Tim DeFrisco - SI

Spring Training has been going along pretty ho-hum this year.  A few new recruits, still not enough pitching, but definitely without the Manny drama of last year….until two days ago.

I read Ken Gurnick’s article (click here) where Manny said that this will be his last year in L.A.  That really wasn’t a surprise, but it was the timing that surprised me.

It kind of hit me like a really good steak that you had at a restaurant, but now it’s been in the refrigerator a few too many days and you’re wondering if it’s still good.  It could be just as good as when you first tasted it, or it could be so bad that you have to throw it out.  Either way, it leaves you a little queasy even before you take a bite.

That’s how I feel with Manny.  The thing with Manny is that even though he comes across as a goofball, Manny is a very smart man.  He is all about calculating his money along with being a very good baseball player.  If he says something, it is only because he and his agents have already determined what to say and when to say it.  The fact that he made it known that this is his last year in his first statement of the spring is concerning.

I work with people who have given notice that they are retiring at the end of the year.  Yes, they get the job done, but if they hit something difficult, they usually don’t do as good of work, because they know it doesn’t matter and they are gone in a few months.

Why wouldn’t it be different for Manny?  He already has a guaranteed 20 million dollars, and we all know he has a history of dogging it.  If he is injured, or could get injured and then damage his ability to play next year, why wouldn’t he shut it down.  That would truly hurt the Dodgers.

One Giant’s fan did set me straight though.  He stated that if this truly is Manny’s last year in blue, then he has just given notice to other teams.  If he wants to play next year and get a good contract (both of which I believe to be true), then he has to put on a show this year.  This could truly help the Dodgers.

Either way, I’m queasy.  It may turn out fine, but why not say, “I’m just going to take this year one day at a time, and then decide at the end of the year.”  If he makes up his mind before then, fine, but why declare it in your first press conference of the year?

In either case, Ned Colletti already better be thinking about who will replace him in left field.  At the soonest, next year we will need another big bat.

What do you think?  Is he setting himself up to dog it, or put up good numbers for a big, new contract?

Ned Colletti UPI Photo/Jon Soohoo/HO

Special Code: PGYG83M3DHGY

I struggled with how to title this post. Now that I’ve written it, it reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book “Go Dog Go,” but hopefully I’ll still get my point across.  

Like other Dodger fans, I’ve watched as the Dodgers have let most of this off-season pass.  No offense to Jaime Carroll, but unless he’s going to pitch, he wasn’t what people were expecting. 

What’s caught my attention in the blogs, articles and general opinions (mine included) is that the Dodgers really aren’t doing anything behind the scenes because of the divorce.  It seems that all money is on hold, and therefore, the Dodgers are just looking for cheap bargains.

Many thanks to www.mlbtraderumors.com, because they had a nice little post to help show me different (click here).  Hold tight Dodger fans – it seems that things are still brewing.  Here’s the summary:

• The Dodgers made an earnest attempt to land Roy Halladay prior to the blockbuster deal that shipped him to Philadelphia.  According to sources, the Blue Jays would have preferred L.A. as a trading partner, but of course, it wasn’t really up to them.  Ultimately, it didn’t matter how much the Dodgers could give Toronto or potentially give Doc in an extension, the Phillies were at the top of his list. The Dodgers made an earnest attempt to land Roy Halladay prior to the blockbuster deal that shipped him to Philadelphia.  According to sources, the Blue Jays would have preferred L.A. as a trading partner, but of course, it wasn’t really up to them.  Ultimately, it didn’t matter how much the Dodgers could give Toronto or potentially give Doc in an extension, the Phillies were at the top of his list.

What this confirmed is that good ol’ Ned is still working.  No one knows who’s really calling the shots for the Dodgers at the top, but at least we know Crazy Ned Colletti is still on the phones.  This is the same guy who got Manny Ramirez for nothing, and continues to turn out of date pitchers into work horses again.  He’s not perfect (no need to bring up certain names), and he definitely didn’t get Halladay but at least we can know he’s not sitting at a desk doing nothing due to money restraints.  

We all know the Dodgers need another pitcher and I’m sure he knows it better than anyone, but he’s trying.  When it comes down to it, getting the player is what people remember, so it is a fine line, but I know he’s working the channels.  Last year, no one thought the pitching would even be decent, but it lasted to the playoffs.  This year, he knows he has to get over the hump.

Like every Dodgerfan, I’m rooting for Crazy Colletti to pull something out of his hat, or at least be smarter than all the rest of us. 

Like the Dr. Seuss book…Go Colletti Go and then Go Around Again!

Special Code: PGYG83M3DHGY

Casey Blake - Robert Gauthier - LATimes.com

So I’ve been letting the Dodgers loss simmer a little. Honestly, it still stings. So much promise going into the series with the Phillies, and then to absolutely watch the pitching fall part. The offense didn’t totally go away, but it was like the pitching just lost it. Mind you, the Phillies can hit. But it still seemed like the Dodgers just couldn’t pitch. I shared the collective gasp with all other Dodger fans when Broxton walked Matt Stairs and the rest of the game just fell apart.

What strikes me in looking back though is that “THEY” were right.  By “THEY” I mean most typical baseball analysts.  Even in spring training the thought was that the Dodgers couldn’t win it all because they didn’t have big name pitching.  There wasn’t a solid #1 and #2, and therefore they would do well, but eventually they would fall apart.  Well, “THEY” were right.  That’s exactly what happened.  They proved everyone a liar and had the best ERA in the National League, but then it fell apart.  The Dodgers could hit, but in the playoffs it is about big time pitching.  The big Phillie hitters finally found a way to pick away and then destroy the Dodger pitching. 

I didn’t think I would ever think this, but I actually missed Jeff Weaver in the last series.  He was held off the roster, but I think the Dodgers would have used him 2-3 times.  He fell apart at times during the season, but I saw him more than once clean up the mess from a starting pitcher and hold a team scoreless for 3-4 innings.  Billingsley tried to do it, but wasn’t totally successful.

So, if ”They” were right, then we should probably listen to them.  Giants fans have been giving me a hard time for losing, but it’s now time to look ahead.  Ned Colletti is now signed long term, so goal one is a number 1 pitcher.  Kershaw may be #2, but they need a lead horse. 

With the divorce between the owners, who knows what will happen.  They’ve already put on hold the improvements to Dodger stadium, so I bet money will be held up too.  I’ll write more posts on that, but it really smears the Dodgers name through the mud.  The Giants fans are having a field day with the Dodgers collapsing internally.

Well – THEY were right, and now we can watch the Yankees and Phillies in the Ice Bowl.  As for me, I’ll root for the Yankees.  Yes, I know there is a rivalry with the Dodgers, but I don’t have any real reason to root for the Phillies given how they destroyed the Dodgers. 

Any thoughts – is the number one need starting pitching?

Call this one a hunch. The Dodgers brought in Vicente Padilla from the Rangers last week. This could be a brilliant move by Ned Colletti, as Padilla is an established veteran who could really add to the rotation.

That’s the upside. The downside is that he has a history of pitching inside, and most recently for being a “head hunter” and purposly throwing at people. Different people have different accounts, but part of the reason he was released by Texas was because of his attitude in the clubhouse and his history of throwing at people.

So – you do the math. You have a guy who naturally throws inside, probably does throw at people when he feels they deserve it, and now will be pitching for the Dodgers against the Giants later this month in a heated rivalry.

Yeah. It’s going to happen. There have already been two bench clearing skirmishes in the last two years, so I can easily see a third.

Hopefully Vincente will pitch well and add a little energy to the boys in the blue. They are slipping a little and the Rockies are coming too fast. The Dodgers need Manny and their offense to come around, and they need to at least take the last game with Colorado this week. They played well last night, now they just need to finish tonight and win the series to prove they are still the better team.

So you heard it hear first. Vincente Padilla will cause a brawl with the Giants…even if he isn’t trying to.

Vincente Padilla - L.A. Times

Juan Pierre - Andrew Carpenean - US Presswire

I exaggerate a little, but with an 8-0 win over the Giants last night, the Dodgers still look good. Even more, Pierre is on fire. We’ve all watched him a lot the last few years, and it seemed that every time I watched him, he grounded out weakly to the second baseman. Not now. I don’t know if he’s just in a groove, or has just waited so long to play that he has something to prove; either way, he’s hot. I love the way he is hitting the gaps right now.

High props to Eric Stults last night and to Ned Colletti. The Dodgers pitching is not bad at all. Actually they have the 3rd best ERA in the National League right now. The Dodgers management definitely knew the pitching would hold, even when everyone else doubted. If Eric Stults can put together a few more of these starts, the Dodgers will continue to do well.

So here’s my only gripe from last night, and it has been that way for the last few years. Why can’t the Dodgers run the bases? I mean, they teach how to run the bases in little league, don’t they have a coach who can teach it in the pros? How many times have you seen the Dodgers get thrown out at second trying to stretch a single…just this year? And I’m not talking close ones. Ones where they are caught up in a run-down because they had no business to chance it. Matt Kemp and Russell Martin are the biggest offenders. I guess when you have the speed they do, they assume they can pull it off. We all know what happens when you assume.

Anyway, the rubber match is tonight against Lincecum. Here’s hoping Jeff Weaver can continue to rebound back to form and make a game of it. Either way, I’m sure Pierre will be up for the challenge. I’ve never heard of a team batting a lead off guy 9th, but when you have 3 leadoff men, batting them back to back to back is pretty cool.

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Go Blue.