Dodgers: start your engines!
Dodger baseball is back! At least, it looks like the Dodgers, the uniforms are remarkably similar to the team that won the western division of the National League in 2004...they lost the name on the back.
The Dodgers facelift began shortly after their new GM Paul DePodesta traded a couple of highly regarded prospects for Milton Bradley (the first name in "game"), the Cleveland Native American Caricatures' troubled centerfielder. Yes, he was a hot-head, but when one of the league's finest citizens (Shawn Green) is patrolling right field, how much damage could he do?
It continued with last season's enormous trade deadline deal that sent Paul LoDuca, Juan Encarnacion and Guillermo Mota to the Florida Marlins for Brad Penny, Hee Seop Choi and a pitching prospect. The deal went bust with the nerve injury to Penny's pitching arm. If Penny doesn't recover, that trade is their worst since sending Mike Piazza packing...to the Marlins!
And the nose was lopped clean off of the Dodger's face by getting rid of upright citizen Shawn Green, baseball's true MVP Adrien Beltre, and the heart of last season's team, Jose Lima. Now devoid of features, the Dodgers face was reassembled with Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew and World Series pitching phenom Derek Lowe. I think the patient lost a lot of blue blood in the process.
I will say this. If Penny recovers, the Dodger have the most effective pitchers from the last TWO World Series in their starting rototion: Lowe won all of three of Boston's clinching post season series games (not bad under pressure), and Penny won 2 games in the '03 World Series. IF the Dodgers can make the playoffs (still an open question); their pitching is exactly where I would want it to be (contingent on the health of said Penny); with 2 top line starters. Gotta think it would take the...oh yeah, Dodgers, deep into October baseball.
I will follow the Dodgers in '05: I have no idea how well they will do. Too many "fuckin' imponderables," as Al Swearingen would say. The improvements to the starting rotation stand to counter the degradation of offense and defense, IF Penny's recovery is 100%. But I am so disappointed by the loss of Shawn Green. I see Beltre's departure as largely of his own, and his agent's making. But Green made it easy to root for the Dodgers. He now makes me want to root for the Diamondbacks, his new team. Everyone seemed to think that getting rid of him was a great baseball move. Those people are not considering the imponderables...
More thoughts on Green. In 2002, he hit 49 home runs. Green CLEARLY doesn't abuse steroids...what if he did? I am glad that steroids will be leaving the game. Subtract the roid factor, and Green is Ruthian compared to the guys that were juicing at that time (Bonds, Sosa, Giambi, etc.). Thanks, Shawn, for the memories! And LA is a little bit better place thanks to you being such a mensch.
The Dodgers facelift began shortly after their new GM Paul DePodesta traded a couple of highly regarded prospects for Milton Bradley (the first name in "game"), the Cleveland Native American Caricatures' troubled centerfielder. Yes, he was a hot-head, but when one of the league's finest citizens (Shawn Green) is patrolling right field, how much damage could he do?
It continued with last season's enormous trade deadline deal that sent Paul LoDuca, Juan Encarnacion and Guillermo Mota to the Florida Marlins for Brad Penny, Hee Seop Choi and a pitching prospect. The deal went bust with the nerve injury to Penny's pitching arm. If Penny doesn't recover, that trade is their worst since sending Mike Piazza packing...to the Marlins!
And the nose was lopped clean off of the Dodger's face by getting rid of upright citizen Shawn Green, baseball's true MVP Adrien Beltre, and the heart of last season's team, Jose Lima. Now devoid of features, the Dodgers face was reassembled with Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew and World Series pitching phenom Derek Lowe. I think the patient lost a lot of blue blood in the process.
I will say this. If Penny recovers, the Dodger have the most effective pitchers from the last TWO World Series in their starting rototion: Lowe won all of three of Boston's clinching post season series games (not bad under pressure), and Penny won 2 games in the '03 World Series. IF the Dodgers can make the playoffs (still an open question); their pitching is exactly where I would want it to be (contingent on the health of said Penny); with 2 top line starters. Gotta think it would take the...oh yeah, Dodgers, deep into October baseball.
I will follow the Dodgers in '05: I have no idea how well they will do. Too many "fuckin' imponderables," as Al Swearingen would say. The improvements to the starting rotation stand to counter the degradation of offense and defense, IF Penny's recovery is 100%. But I am so disappointed by the loss of Shawn Green. I see Beltre's departure as largely of his own, and his agent's making. But Green made it easy to root for the Dodgers. He now makes me want to root for the Diamondbacks, his new team. Everyone seemed to think that getting rid of him was a great baseball move. Those people are not considering the imponderables...
More thoughts on Green. In 2002, he hit 49 home runs. Green CLEARLY doesn't abuse steroids...what if he did? I am glad that steroids will be leaving the game. Subtract the roid factor, and Green is Ruthian compared to the guys that were juicing at that time (Bonds, Sosa, Giambi, etc.). Thanks, Shawn, for the memories! And LA is a little bit better place thanks to you being such a mensch.
posted by TRS at 3/13/2005 08:40:00 AM
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