PONCHO IN '07?...

Few athletes in Los Angeles sports history have captivated fans like Nomar Garciaparra did this year. He was the most valuable player on the team, the guy everyone looked on to tell them everything would be ok, but most importantly he was the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the stretch run, while he was battered and bruised Nomar willed the team into a playoff spot. In early May when the Dodgers where tormenting fans with their play, Nomar carried the team through it. Although my "BELIEVE IN THE PONCHO" rally cry did not hurt either. Nomar had a great comeback year. He hit .303, had 20 homeruns, and drove in 93 runs. He put up these numbers while being on the disabled list twice. Nomar also made his move to first base look effortless. He committed 1 error the entire season and has to be considered for a gold glove. Nomar had a terrific season overall. So the question is do the Dodgers bring him back. If you go strictly on numbers, Nomar is back next season. Nomar still has one of the best bats in the game. The problem with Nomar is his health. Nomar only played in 122 games. He missed almost 2 months due to numerous injuries. For the money Nomar is going to ask, I do not think he is worth it. Nomar will be one year older, and even more injury prone. Add the fact that James Loney finally looks ready to take over at first, should seal the fact that Nomar should not be brought back. It kills me to say that because of what Nomar brought to the team this year. But, the franchise cannot put themselves in a situation where they pay a guy a boat load of money, while the guy is injured most of the time, I.E. Kevin Brown, Darren Dreifort, Devon White. However, if Nomar where to take a discount contract, and the Dodgers where willing to have a platoon with Jeff Kent, James Loney, and Nomar, between first base, and second base, that situation might work. Whatever happens, Nomar was the most loved athlete in Los Angeles in '06. I wish Nomar the best of luck wherever he winds up. The struggles have continued in the Arizona Fall League for Chin Lung Hu, and Anthony Raglani. They are hitting .216, and .189 respectively. Although the Dodger pitchers seem to get better every outing. John Meloan lowered his era to 0.96 through 9 innings. He has just been unhittable, and is placing himself for consideration in the Dodgers bullpen next season. In the Hawaiian Winter League Blake DeWitt, and Xavier Paul are staggering. Although they have been showing signs of turning it around. Overall, I would say that our prospects have faired well enough. Lets look for a strong finish...


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

GAME OVER?...

The face of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise might not be back next year. Eric Gagne has a team option this offseason, and will most likely not get picked up. The option will come at $12 million, but he will get the option bought out for $1 million. This situation will happen. That does not mean that he will not be back. The Dodgers can still re-sign him at a lower rate. Maybe a incentive laden contract, similar to that of Nomar Garciaparra had this year. I do not care what Ned Colletti has to do to re-sign him, he needs to do it. From 2002 on, Eric has been "the guy" on this team, a 3-time all star, the 2003 Cy Young winner, and most important a stablelizing force closing out games. During this time, there was no one better than him. He only blew a remarkable 6 games during that stretch, set a major league record 84 straight games, and made people stick around until the ninth inning to watch him enter the jungle. Eric came armed with a blinding fastball, knee-buckling curveball, and a baffling change-up. Eric was the first star player Dodger fans could call their own since the dreadful trade of Mike Piazza. Ned needs to bring back Eric, and give him an opportunity to prove himself. A healthy Eric Gagne, is the best closer in the game. A healthy Eric Gagne will make the Dodgers bullpen the best in the National league West. A healthy Eric Gagne will drive people to the ballpark, and this just happens to be what Dodgers owner Frank McCourt seems to be more interested in. Lets not commit the same mistake that we made with Steve Garvey, Mike Piazza, and Fernado Valenzuela. Let Eric Gagne finish off his career in blue. I know he has been injured for most of the past two seasons, but considering what Eric has done for this organization, he deserves to be brought back and prove himself. I do not want it to be GAME OVER for Eric with our boys.... Jonathan Meloan has continued his hot streak in the Arizona Fall league. Meloan lowered his era to 1.13, and has been overpowering. Brian Akin has also kept his stellar play, while Casey Hoorelbeke, and Danny Muegge have been solid. A.J. Ellis torrid streak is still alive, he is now hitting a team leading .526. The same cannot be said for Chin Lung Hu, and Anthony Raglani, they have both struggled mightily. Meanwhile in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league, Blake DeWitt has finally woken up. He has brought his batting average up to .214, Xavier Paul is batting .259 but has played better than that. Cory Dunlap is hitting .278 with 9 rbi in 12 games. Hopefully Dodger prospects finish off strong.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

NOMO REVISITED...

In the spring of 1995, the Dodgers signed Japanese icon Hideo Nomo. Nomo would go on to have a stellar career with the boys in blue during his 2 stints in Los Angeles. At that time, the amount of money the Dodgers shelled out to acquire Nomo was thought to be to much. The Dodgers took a chance and where rewarded nicely by Nomo. Nomo went on to win the 1995 Rookie of the year award, and start the All-Star game in Arlington that same season. He threw a no-hitter in Coors Field on September, 17, 1996. He became the workhorse of many Dodger pitching staffs. He was a fan favorite, and beloved my Dodger fans. Daisuke Matsuzaka has the potential to surpass Nomo in every way. Matsuzaka is going to be posted during this offseason. He definitely has the tools to succeed in the major leagues. Matsuzaka comes armed with a 90-96 mph fastball, a plus-plus slider, a splitter and a changeup. He has also dabbled with a unique pitch known as the "gyroball". The problem with Matsuzaka is his price. It could cost $20-$30 million just to win his negotiation rights. He then is expected to ask double that for his contract. The Dodgers have been know to shy away from such contracts, which makes it very doubtful that the Dodgers will take a serious look at him. The Dodgers need to seriously look at him. His talent warrants it. At this point, I still have Barry Zito ahead of him, but not by much. Matsuzaka is 26 years old, and has shown he can win in the big moments by leading a inferior Japanese team to win the World Baseball Classic, and being awarded the MVP of the tournament. If spring training rolls around, the Dodgers have failed to acquire either Zito, or Matsuzaka I will be terribly disappointed... As the Arizona Fall league gets into its 3rd week, many Dodger prospects have really heated up. Catcher, A.J. Ellis is batting .588, Pitcher John Meloan has a era of 1.42, and Brian Akin has his era of 1.59. hopefully they carry their success to the remaining of the season.

HOLLYWOOD ENDING?...

There are many possiblilities for the Dodgers this offseason. One potential move the Dodgers can make is to acquire Alex Rodriguez. Out of all the possible additions the ballclub can make, bringing in A-Rod will be the toughest. Such a trade for Alex Rodriquez will likely call for many pieces in return. The Yankees will most assuring want a reliable frontline pitcher. The candidate seems to be Brad Penny. They would also want hot prospect Andy LaRoche, and one of their top pitching prospects such as Scott Elbert, Chad Billingsley, and Clay Kershaw. This is a very steep prize to pay for A-Rod, but without a doubt he is worth it talent wise. There is also the issue of is substantial salary. A-Rod has 4 years left in his contract that amount to just above 100 million. The Yankees will have to pay a big part of the contract if the deal was to be made. If all these things lined up, the deal is not out of the question. Alex had a solid season this year. He hit 35 homeruns, drove in 121 runs, and batter .290. This was also considered a down year for Alex. Putt all these together and I would still not take him on my team. His talent is unquestionable. He might be the best player in baseball. But just like communism, bringing Alex Rodriguez to the Dodgers works only in theory. A-Rod is the least liked player in the league among his peers. It would definitely be a bad mix. Alex always seems to alienate himself from his teammates, and causes friction by the way he carries himself. We already know what a good clubhouse can do as we saw this year. We also already know what a bad clubhouse can do as we saw in '05. A-Rod is an amazing player, but he is not right for us. Now if the deal where to happen, and Alex comes to Los Angeles with a changed attitude and proves me wrong, I will gladly eat crow. It is a tough decision. One that I would not make... I have been updating you on the Arizona Fall league, but I have yet to update the Hawaiian Winter league. The Dodgers have a good number of prospects playing for the North Shore Honu. Amongst them are, Blake DeWitt, Xavier Paul, Cory Dunlap, and Zach Hammes. So far they have had their ups, and downs. Hopefully it is uphill from now on. As for the Arizona Fall league, Anthony Raglani has heated up. Raglani hit 2 home runs today, and raised his batting average to .273. Chin Lung Hu has also been swinging the bat better lately. He collected 2 hits today, and is now hitting .235. They seem to be turning it around, lets hope it continues.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

SLUGGER NEEDED...

There is a huge offensive void in the middle of the Dodgers lineup. Alfonso Soriano would certainty fill that void. The Dodgers where last in homeruns this past season, and the team lead was a measly 20 by both Nomar Garciaparra, and J.D. Drew. Bringing in a power hitter is a priority. The question is do they bring in a high prized free agent such as Alfonso Soriano, or do they just fill the hole with players such as Trot Nixon, until uber prospect Matt Kemp is ready to take over. I seriously hope the Dodgers do not do the latter. This Dodger team is a Ace, and a power hitter away from being a legitimate World Series contender. Like I have been saying, Barry Zito solves our ace problem, and Alfonso Soriano would solve our power problem. Soriano is a good fit because he is a versatile player. He can play the outfield, and second base. This means that Soriano would play in the outfield next season, and once Jeff Kent retires Soriano would then move to second base. This would enable Matt Kemp to settle into an outfield spot for good. Soriano had a splendid season this year. He hit 46 homeruns, and drove in 95 runs. By the way put up these numbers from the leadoff spot, and while playing at RFK Stadium. Alfonso also did damage with his legs as he stole 41 bases. His defense also hit a major improvement after swapping positions. He led the league in outfielder assists. The prize for Soriano is not going to be cheap. It is being reported that he will be looking for a 5 year deal in the area of 65-75 million. Soriano is also going to be sought after by many teams. The asking prize will most likely be driven up. The Dodger brass needs to start spending smart money, and bringing in the missing pieces. This is the LOS ANGELES DODGERS, we should be able to sign anyone we want. Hopefully the tide changes this year, and Ned Colletti brings in studs such as Zito, and Soriano... The Arizona Fall League action is heating up, but Dodger hitters seem to be cooling. Chin Lung Hu is hitting .125, and Anthony Raglani is hitting .077. Although its only through 4 games. As for the pitchers, they have been handling themselves great. Casey Hoorelbeke, Brian Akin, and John Meloan all have their era under 3. Hopefully the bats pick up, and the pitching continues.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

SAN FRANCISCO WAY?...

Jason Schmidt is one the best free-agent pitchers in the market. He is second on my list of Dodger targets to Barry Zito. Schmidt will come at a lower prize than Barry Zito. It is thought that Schmidt will be looking in the area of 4 years, 45-50 million deal. The deal is not overwhelming in any way, considering what they are paying Brad Penny right now. Jason also has ties with General Manager Ned Colletti from his San Francisco days. This might make him more of a candidate than Barry Zito. Schmidt went 11-9 last season, with a 3.59 era and pitched 213 innings. His numbers are not spectacular, but more of the solid variety. He has a lifetime reccord of 127-90, with a career 3.91 era. He is consistently in the 11-18 win range, and always keeps his team in the game. Jason is also on the downward slope of his career. Schmidt is 33 years old, and has shown signs of breaking down. Put all these facts together, and it makes you want Barry Zito even more. Jason Schmidt is a solid pitcher, but the Dodgers do not need "solid" pitchers. We have enough of those guys. We need a frontline pitcher, who can carry the pitching staff. We need an ace, and Barry Zito is our guy. Zito's career numbers are much more formidable than Schmidts. Add the fact that Zito is 5 years younger only makes him look better. The Dodgers need to focus all of their attention of Barry Zito, and forget guys like Schmidt, Ted Lilly, Vicente Padilla, and Gill Meche. Ned needs to deliver Barry Zito to Dodger Stadium. Anyone else will be a disappointment... On Wednesday, Roy Smith the Dodgers vice president of scouting and player development resigned. Roy followed Terry Collins who quit last week to take a managerial job in Japan with the Orix Buffaloes. Both, Roy and Terry where a pivotal part of the Dodgers farm system resurgence. They brought stability and know-how to these positions. I only hope that Roy, and Terry did not leave on any bad terms. However, we have to turn the page, and hopefully Ned fills the positions with capable people. We cannot let the farm system stagger like it did during the late '90's. We need to bring in someone who can build our future. I know Ned will come through again...


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

TO ZITO,OR NOT TO ZITO...

Anyone who saw the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff this year, will tell you that they are lacking an ace. Ned Colletti will need to go after an ace during the offseason, there is no better ace out in the market than Barry Zito. Zito will be heavily touted by many teams, and his asking price is pretty steep. Barry Zito's asking price will be in the range of 75 million dollars over 5 years. That would be a big commitment for the Dodgers to take. Especially if you consider the incredible bad fortune the Dodgers have had with immense contracts (Kevin Brown, Darryl Strawberry, Darren Dreifort, and Dave Goltz to name a few), the Dodgers might be shy to pull the trigger on a deal for Barry Zito. Shy or not, the deal need to be made. Zito without a doubt is the best arm they can acquire. Zito went 16-10 with a 3.83 era, and threw 221 innings. His lifetime record is 102-63, with a 3.55 era. The guy is a winner, and a innings eater. Not to mention he won the 2002 Cy Young award. Put Zito in the Dodgers rotation, and the Dodgers rotation becomes as good as anyone else. There are other pitchers out there, but more of the mediocre variety. I will profile some of them in upcoming posts. But, these are not the guys that we should be looking at, we need a frontline starter, and Barry Zito fills the bill... The Arizona Fall league is underway and there are a couple of Dodger prospects who are participating. The slick-gloved Chin-Lung Hu, Anthony Raglani, Brian Akin, A.J. Ellis, Casey Hoorelbeke, are just some of them. They are part of the Mesa Solar Sox team. I will be updating their progress in league action...


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

WAIT 'TILL NEXT YEAR...

The Dodgers magical run came to a close on Saturday night. The game was a microcosm for the Dodgers season. There where let downs, and clutch moments. There was joy, and sorrow. It was with in grasp, and yet we came so close. The game last night was just like the previous two games, a lot of mistakes, and wasted opportunities. We really beat ourselves. It hurts to have come so far, and no be able to finish the goal. More than any other year, I am looking forward to next year the most. Next season our ball club should be even better. All of our young players gained an invaluable amount of experience, and should be even better than they where this year. Jeff Kent will have all offseason to rehab his injuries, Ned Colletti will more than likely bring in quality free agents that will help the team. The one area that should be addressed immediately is starting pitching. The team can no longer go depending on people like Aaron Sele, Bret Tomko, and Eric Stults. Ned Colletti needs to go after Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, or Daisuke Matsuzaka. Maybe even look at some trade options. Although I would advice against trading prized prospects such as Andy LaRoche, Scott Elbert, and Clay Kershaw. There are also going to be tough decision such as what to do with Nomar Garciaparra, Eric Gagne, Kenny Lofton, Greg Maddux, and Julio Lugo. I could part ways with all these players except Eric Gagne. Ned Colletti needs to bring back Eric Gagne. Like I have said before, Eric Gagne was the face of the Dodgers. He captivated the city of Angels with his swagger, and trademark goggles. He shutdown opponents with his overpowering fastball, and knee-buckling curve. Eric Gagne needs to be given an opportunity to regain his former form as the top closer in Baseball. It would be a real shame to see Eric closing out games for another franchise. Lets not make the same mistake we made with Mike Piazza, Steve Garvey, and Paul LoDuca. Let Eric finish a Dodger. As for Nomar, I would love to see him back on the team but he will most likely want a big contract. I could see a situation in which Nomar, Kent, and James Loney share equal time between second and first. This is going to be a offseason of many questions, hopefully we get the right answers. I think the team might end up looking something like this...

Lineup
ss. Rafael Furcal
c. Russell Martin
cf. Alfonso Soriano (It is going to be a steep prize)
2b. Jeff Kent
rf. J.D. Drew (I doubt he will opt out of his contract)
lf. Andre Ethier
1b. James Loney
3b. Andy LaRoche (my heart says LaRoche, my brain says Wilson Betemit)


Rotation
Barry Zito
Derek Lowe
Brad Penny (really hoping he gets it together)
Chad Billingsley
Hong Chih Kuo

Pen
Eric Gagne
Jonathan Broxton
Takashi Saito
John Meloan
Greg Miller
Bret Tomko (only because of his huge contract)

By the way, the Arizona Fall League is only weeks away, time to go see some of our prospects perform.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

WELL, THAT DIDN'T WORK...

Pathetic, that is the only word that can be used to describe the Dodgers play on Thursday night. The Dodgers gave the second game of the series to the Mets with shotty fielding, dreadful hitting, and questionable managing. The game could have been easily won. The Mets did nothing spectacular, Tom Glavine went 6 modest innings to keep the Dodgers offense at bay, and the Met offense scored 3 of their runs on outs. The Dodgers team looked apathetic the entire night, no willingness to compete. I do not know what they did to prepare themselves for the game. Did Grady Little show them the Passion of the Christ, or Shindlers List? Did Ned Colletti tell the team Julio Lugo would be brought back for the 2007 season? What ever it was, the Dodgers seemed to be busy thinking about it. Not only did we lose the game, but we have lost Nomar Garciaparra services. Nomar has apparently tore his left quad, and will be limited to pinch hitting duties. At this point, I am glad he is out of the lineup, he has been in severe pain for the last month. Plus his bat has not been there recently. James Loney will take over at first for the 3rd game of the series, and hopefully more. Now the Dodgers only hope to stay alive. Greg Maddux will pitch tomorrow, and he has been rolling lately. A good outing might do wonders for the Dodger spirit. But, if the Dodgers hope to win the game, they cannot come out and play the same way they did on Thursday night. If they do, then lets start getting ready for Spring Training '07. This is the biggest game of the year, and our boys need to show up and play hard. I have a gut feeling that we will get a surprise performance from someone tomorrow night. I will be out there tomorrow, and Sunday. That is if our boys win tomorrow. LETS GO BLUE!


BELIEVE IN BLUE~

WHAT WAS THAT?...

The anticipation for the first game of the National League Divisional Series was like no other. Man landing on the moon, Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capones vault, a fat adolescent awaiting the arrival of his pizza. None of them compare. I should have known better. The Dodgers lost the first game of the series. The fact that they lost does not bother me, how they lost is what bothers me. They gave the game away with a number of febble-minded plays. The first one of these brain farts came in the second inning with Russell Martin batting and Jeff Kent at second, and J.D. Drew at first. Russell hit a ball over Mr. Personality Shawn Green's head. Everyone at Shea knew two runs where going to score, every Dodger fan knew we had just taken a 2-0 lead. What we saw next has to be the most perplexing play Dodger fans have ever seen. The Mets managed to get both, Jeff Kent, and J.D. Drew at home.. at the same time. Was I watching Major League?.. was this Willy Mays Hayes trying to score? Once I saw this play, I knew it was going to be a tough day. The Dodgers somehow recovered from Rich Donnelly's brain-lapse, and tied the game at four on Nomar's clutch double. Grady Little then gave us another reason to hate him by bringing in the hick from Oklahoma, the same hick that has struggled ever since the All-Star game. The hick quickly gives up 2 runs, and lost the game. The Dodgers came back up again with a opportunities to get back in the game, but it was not to be. This was a nightmare game for all Dodger fans. Not only did we lose the game, but we had to watch the game on ESPN who is never bias, always looks at the story from 2 viewpoints, and covers does not favor the East Coast. We had to watch the game on that ESPN. Just in case there are any guido Met fans, I am being sarcastic. I cannot not stand listening to John Thorne, Steve Phillips, and Joe "chicken wing" Morgan. It is almost as bad as listening to the Anaheim Angels broadcast team. I thought we where watching Tom Seaver pitch the way they talked about John Maine. They kept talking up Cliff Floyd, Endy Chavez, and Pedro Feliziano. That is when you know homers are doing the game, when Endy Chaves is getting mentioned. As if their blatant pulling for the Mets was not enough, they then brought Tim Robbins into the booth. By the way, he is a huge Met fan. They also kept showing celebrity Met fans like, Ray Romano, and John McCenroe. I hate ESPN with a passion. The Dodgers need to come out today, and beat the Mets. They need to stop this East Coast bias by beating ESPN's golden boys. By the way, where was the Dodgers celebrity fans? where was Robert Whul? Where was Rob Reiner? Where was Allyssa Milano?.. We need them out there cheering our boys on.. Today something has to happen, we need to win. 67 year old Tom Glavine will pitch today for the Mets, and he is very beatable. Lets pull for our boys today, and stop watching ESPN....


BELIEVE IN THE PONCHO!

HOW SWEET IT IS!..

The fruits of victory!... The 2006 baseball season ended on Sunday afternoon, and my boys in blue are not done playing. The Dodgers swept the San Francisco Giants, who looked more like dwarfs than giants, to finish the season with a 88-74 record. The record was good enough to win the National League Wild Card. The wild card was not what I was looking for, but it will get the job done. This was an up and down season, one of heartbreak, and joy. This team left me in disbelieve, and with displeasure. But, now as I sit here watching Good Morning America, and trying to identify the smell in my room, I cannot be any chipper. We will be taking on the New York Mets, who for most of the year where a powerhouse, but are suffering from a September skid. The Mets will be without the ace of the staff Pedro Martinez, who was lost with a shoulder injury. I am not one to celebrate an injury, but I sure am glad that we wont have to see Mr. Gerry-curl dominating our hitters. The Mets are a dangerous team, but their pitching is suspect, so they can be beaten. The one thing I am worried about is the high number of ex-Dodger players the Mets are carrying, and as every Dodger fan knows, ex- Dodgers are the worst kind of Dodgers. But we are not dealing with the '98 Yankees, or the '73 Athletics.. this is a team with average pitching, and good hitting. They can be beaten. I was extremely happy when I saw Eric Gagne celebrate with the team on Saturday. I can only hope that he is brought back next year. Eric Gagne was the face of the Dodgers, and deserves to be given an opportunity to prove himself. I want to see him jogging to the mound while "Welcome to the Jungle" blasts in the background, to close out games for the Dodgers. I hope you all feel the same way... Well bring on the Mets, lets take care of them!... oh and by the way, the smell turned out to be my dirty socks...


BELIEVE IN BLUE!