|
Farewell to Shawn Green
2005-01-10
At different times, Shawn Green could be great, he could be good, he could be tolerable, he could be frustrating, and he could be a downright nuisance. If you're completely at ease with Green's departure, you're probably not valuing what he could have contributed below the cleanup spot this season for the Dodgers. If you can find no consolation at saying farewell, you're ignoring Green's declining speed with the bat, on the basepaths and in the field, and the probability of recurring shoulder problems reducing his effectiveness, despite his improvement as 2004 went on. Six million Dodger dollars that would have gone to Green in 2005 will now go elsewhere in the Dodger organization. Ten million Dodger dollars will continue to find Green's pocket - but in exchange, the Dodgers will acquire four minor leaguers: This haul of minor leaguers could be great, could be good, could be tolerable, could be frustrating, and could be a downright nuisance. With all this in mind, how can you not be stoic about parting ways with the most stoic of ballplayers, a fellow who you hardly ever saw smile or complain (not that he didn't do both off camera), whose ecstatic, leaping rush to greet Steve Finley at home plate following the division-winning grand slam in 2004 was a revelation along the lines of seeing your head-in-a-beaker science teacher belt out a karaoke "Dancing Queen"? Green was the guy who hit four homers in a game and didn't stop hitting them out for days after, and who hit 42 homers the season after Gary Sheffield was traded. Green was the guy who pulled one weak grounder after another in a style reminiscent of Chuck Knox's flairless Los Angeles Ram offenses of the 1970s. Green never got enough credit and always got too much. So now we look at this trade of Green to Arizona, once again being given clearance for landing after circling the completion runway in this rainy winter enough times to make everyone's stomachs heave, and we're faced with the following. The trade will be great, it will be good, it will be tolerable, it will be frustrating, and it will be a downright nuisance. Beyond that, no matter what happens this season, Shawn Green will be more beloved by Dodger fans in a Diamondbacks uniform than he would have been in a Dodger uniform. I wish Shawn the best of luck, and I wish the Dodgers the best of luck.
|
Jon Weisman's outlet
for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers and baseball. Hot from the Toaster
BlogAds
Search
Archives
2008 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2007 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2006 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2005 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2004 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2003 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2002 09 08 07 About Jon
Jon's other site: Support Dodger Thoughts
Dodger Thoughts T-Shirts * * *
The Best of Dodger Thoughts Click here for more information.
"Dodger Thoughts, like TiVo, is one of those things you can completely do without until you start using it." - Fanerman Dodger Sites
Dodger Resources
Non-Partisan Baseball Sites
Partisan Baseball Sites
Baseball, Among Other Things
Invaluable Resources
Less Dodgers, More L.A.
All in the Family
Other Writing by Jon on the Web
SI.com Variety Also ... More Shameless Self-Promotion
2008 Season
Dodger home record: 22-20 (.524) 1991-2007
Dodgers at home: 745-600 (.554) 2008 Payroll Worksheet
Current Roster with Estimated 2008 Salaries Most figures are estimates (some are wild estimates) but will be updated as information comes in. Corrections welcome. More contract details here. Starting Pitchers (5) Bullpen (6) Starting Lineup (8) Bench (6) Disabled List Also Paying ... Working total: *$113,268,725 *Rough salary estimate The 2008 Dodgers
ESPN BR
BP
Cube Alvarez Selected Recent Ex-Dodgers
ESPN BR BP Cube Alomar Dodger Thoughts Land
Thank You For Not ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity Syndication
 
About the Toaster
Baseball Toaster runs on some experimental software called Fairpole. It's still under development. For more information, please visit the Fairpole blog, or read the FAQ. |
Comment status: comments have been closed.