That's what Bill Plaschke doesn't get.

It would be an act of gross negligence to sacrifice the future for the hopeless present.

Great article, Jon.

Just curious, but it seems that a lot of your SI columns that I've read (if not all) take things from a Dodgers point-of-view. Is this a natural function of your bias, or does SI want it that way, as a de facto Dodgers column?

Note to GMs of teams in contention (e.g. not the Dodgers):

Pay no attention to this Nate Silver character. Kenny Lofton's veteran leadership, basestealing, and slick centerfield play will put you over the top.

4
And that argument with Brad Penny was all Penny's fault. Just ask Bill Plaschke.

3 - It's a good question - what I've found is that they have so many East Coast writers, they like to get more West Coast stuff. Not just Dodgers, necessarily, but this general area. So to answer your last question, it's both.

Jon, I'm bitterly disappointed that you offered sound advice to the Giants' front office in this piece.

I agree with Jon, especially with the wild card, to be labeled either buyers or sellers does a disservice to a team that is just trying to improve themselves.

I looked at the ballpark survey and I discoverd that I would be giving Dodger Stadium some pretty low scores due to the traffic, food choice questions and surrounding entertainment and food choices. That would not give an accurate reflection of what I think but I do see how those surveys often can make something look worse than it really is to the respondent of the survey.

From the last thread, does anyone have any response to this query I made earlier today.

Is Andre Ethier the best minor league player the Dodgers have acquired in a deal since Pedro Guerrero?

borne? Is that an SI edit? I would have thought that was UK spelling, but what do I know? These are the things that keep me awake nights.

2 I don't think the two goals are mutually exclusive, is maybe what Jon's saying. DePo we could've trusted to understand. Ned I got no confidence whatsoever. (Which implys that, for McCourt, subtlety is something you were supposed to learn in high-school but he missed that day while working as his daddy's foreman.)

8 What the survey doesn't ask is "are the ticket prices reasonable? Is it a good place to see a ballgame?"

Instead it fixates on all non-baseball related stadium aspects. Some of these are important and relevant, but many are not things that I care about.

8 I thought the same thing. I marked them way down on parking, traffic, outside entertainment and food. Yet I love going there.

I had to give Dodger Stadium some pretty low remarks even though I do have a special feel for the park I grew up in. I gave low marks for lack of public transportation and traffic, and atmosphere (fans don't sit in their seats and pay attention to the game and often don't bother to show up at all despite buying tickets as the place always seems half full even on sellouts). Unlike others, I like the food, but I have simple tastes as I just want my Dodger Dog and a beer. I try to get my food before the game when there are no lines, while everyone else goes during the game instead of watching and pays the price by standing in line forever. Also, I think the Ravine doesn't have the historical charm that it could, by not playing the organ anymore and placing ads everywhere, where they could show some of the history. Even Staples Center has some great paintings of Laker Championships and the Miracle on Manchester when you walk in the VIP entrances, even though those moments did not even happen there.

[Nomar for Brandon Wood]

Nationals 6 Giants 3 going into the eighth. Livan goes 7 innings giving up 3 runs. He's an innings-eater again GMs - get 'im while he's hot!

Go Nats!
Until tomorrow that is.

Nomar for Wood would be interesting for both teams. Only problem I see is that with LaRoche, you have two third basemen. That is if you believe Wood has to be moved from short to third, which a lot of people think has to be done.

The trade deadline is 1:00 p.m. PDT, Monday July 31, 2006. The mlb.com site has a running countdown.

I am guessing that a lot of people will be anxiously checking back forth Monday morning.

With no game that day, should make for an angst filled Monday.

The parking situation is the most putrid of any event I've attended.

* It takes over an hour just to get out of the parking lot after a game
* It takes over 30 minutes to park before the game
* It takes 30 minutes to get from the lot to my seat
* The lots seem to be numbered in no helpful order

I still wish we could just move Nomar to 3rd (or short, and Furcal to 3rd) and call up Loney. Not that this would solve all the Dodger World's problems, but I see Loney as an improvement over Izzy, and like Nomar enough to want to fit him in some way that has him staying.

My relevant Futurama quote of the day (I'll try to keep this from a daily habit): Fry: "Is there any way we can do this with you going and me staying?"

18 I'm more anxious about whether or not the Dodgers will have won a game by then...

Brad Lidge might be available.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5820522
(Or, he might not.)
Anyone want him as a reclamation project?

19 Parking my car (except for sold out games when I am not on schedule) is not usually a problem, I usually park in the outer lot 32 and walk across to my seats in the reserve section.

Leaving is always an issue since 95% of the time I stay for the whole game.

The other parks, Anaheim is just one huge lot and I have only gone to one game in the past 10-12 years, PetCo, again not many games, and I had to walk around some railroad tracks, not well setup, should try to figure out their public transportation system. San Francisco, took public transportaion, Arizona, lots across the street and Colorado, has the best set up, good public transportation and good restaurants around their ballpark.

Wood stays at short and Fur-kel goes to:

http://tinyurl.com/qzu38

20 I am more interested to find out if Loney has a future playing OF.

Guzman has been playing a lot of 1B and seems to be playing better since the break, stealing some bases too.

20-

ANYONE is an improvement over Izzy.

Trying to deal Nomar is imperative right now. Imagine how good of a player he could bring back. That's not going to happen, so if Lofton, Baez, Saito, Izturis, Cruz, Ledee etc are all here in five days I'm going to vomit. We have absolutely zero chance of winning this division and our GM's obsession with signing and/or trading for garbage veterans with high price tags has gotten us nowhere. Anyone who isn't going to get arbitration needs to be dealt.

As far as next year, the Kent extension looks worse and worse. Without that, and by ditching a couple guys like Izturis and Hendrickson we could conceivably have enough cash to sign Zito, Schmidt, Soriano. Of course, that's letting Nomar walk as well and using Loney. Anyways, I'm looking forward to an offseason filled with Todd Walker-like acqusitions.

Ned will trade Nomar when http://tinyurl.com/qzu38 freezes over.

Nationals hang on to win 6-5. E. Alfonso for the Giants had 2 2-run homer runs today. Eliazer Alfonso, that is.

Dodgers running into a hot Nationals squad -- they've won six straight.

Well, to be more polite, it's Eliezer Alfonzo.

23

I was also very impressed by Coors Field. Great neighborhood with lots of restaurants and bars. Excellent public transportation, especially for a smaller city (don't know about parking as I took public transit). Petco and SBC are also nice. I hate admitting SBC is nice, because San Franciscans are so snobby about everything in their town.

I always thought Dodger Stadium could use a Hall of Fame Museum either out in the parking lot or in the stadium. Something like a Heritage Hall.

Yep, and the Nationals' luck, after all, has never changed at the drop of a hat.

I thought that survey should have had a question about how comfortable you felt rooting for the visiting team in the ballpark, because that's actually useful information.

Something like, is it ever a good idea to cheer for the away team:
() not if you value your life
() as long as it's not the __GIANTS__
() sure, but avoid __________ section
() sure, they're good sports
() everyone there is a fan of the away team

I'm still debating what song I like better as my introe song coming in to bat at Dodger Stadium (both Zoe songs) Veneno or Peace & love.

30 - I always thought Dodger Stadium could use a Hall of Fame Museum either out in the parking lot or in the stadium. Something like a Heritage Hall

Couldn't agree more. The team has such a rich history, a museum (no doubt complete with a gift shop) would be a nice addition in the parking lot.

Not to mention that if you're not familiar with the stadium, it would be easier to find your way around the parking lot.

14 - you must be a fan of the letter K.

It's times like these that help demonstrate an owner's true commitment to building a winning team. Owners have two primary objectives, that are not always consistent with each other. Owners want to win, but they also want to make money. Sometimes a given action contributes to both objectives, sometimes it does not.

At the moment, the Dodgers face a dilemma. Do they: (1) focus on the future by waving the white flag on 2006 and trading the veterans for youngsters, thereby decreasing the chances of winning this year, and possibly decreasing the number of people who show up to watch the games, but increasing the chances of winning in the future, or do they (2) hold onto those veterans and/or trade youngsters for other veterans, in an effort to maximize the chances of winning this year, and possibly maintaining the number of people who show up to watch the games, but decreasing the chances of winning in the future?

In my opinion, if this administration were truly committed to winning, they would give up on 2006 and try to trade the vets for some youngsters who will help in the future. If they fail to at least make such an effort, I will conclude that they are more concerned with profits than with winning.

22- Jeff Kent, Danys Baez, and cash considerations for Brad Lidge, Hunter Paulino, and Jason Lane

26 I'm glad I won't be around you on Monday.

First, Nomar got hurt at exactly the wrong time, who is going to trade for a player with his history and also in the midst of his first slump. It sounds like he won't play at all during the weekend which further limits his trade value.

Lofton, who has more value than Cruz or Ledee, would not get you much but I could see him being moved because they could very well bring Kemp back up to play CF.

Ledee did not fare well in his last trade deadline deal and again since he is coming back from injury, only a team that does not need an everyday player would make a deal and what kind of deal would that be.

Cruz had no value and playing him in games where he bats lefthanded does not help.

Not sure why Saito gets mentioned but he probably could get you something but the downside is that he is cheap and you have control of his contract for a while.

Izzy remains as the one real player that could be valuable to a team like Boston or Toronto, so I will be interested to see what happens with that.

If the Dodgers dealt Nomar, Izzy or Saito, they would be given the label of "Seller" but anyone else could be seen as addition (prospects) by substraction.

However, the odds or dealing Nomar or Saito would be pretty long, Izzy on the otherhand, I will have to be seeing what's coming out of Boston and Toronto (interestingly Toronto is out in Oakland this weekend, so at least they will be in the same timezone).

28 Why does Chad Cordero make every save situation an adventure.

I'm not sure beating NL West teams right now qualifies you as being a hot team.

36 - no Hunter Paulino in the Astros' system, but there is a Hunter Pence, and given the way he's hitting home runs this year (he leads the Texas League, last I looked), you'll have to give up a lot more than an injured Jeff Kent and a mopup reliever to get him.

39- haha. I put the two prospects names together. I meant Hunter Pence AND Felipe Paulino.

19 - I know that in LA it's sacreligious to advocate walking anywhere, but that's what I do. I park in Elysian Park or on Boylston and walk back and forth. It's only a 15 minute walk, you get some exercise, and you avoid all the hassle of dealing with the parking lot.

Also, since my season tickets are in the Top Deck, I paid a total of $6 a game for two seats. Just out of principle I absolutely refuse to pay $10 a game for parking.

Anyone ever read the Ray Bradbury story "The Pedestrian?" Walking in LA always reminds me of that story.

41 Or if you don't want to walk that far, enter on Elysian Park, and then park in the first lot you see on the left. Unless you're morbidly obese, it's not a far walk, and you get out of the stadium in 10 minutes, tops.

I just don't see Ned trading Kent, Drew or Nomar, although I think that may make the most sense. We should be a seller at this point, but we don't have the GM or owner who will do this.

Final thought on Dodger Stadium, I am no fan of the McCourts, but I think they have improved the stadium a bit with the new seats, the picnic area outside, and overall refurbishment (I like the idea of putting seats where we had all that extra foul territory). I even like that we have a real dirt warning track now instead of that rubber junk that just caused injuries and ground rule doubles. Not crazy about all the new advertising, but it isn't too bad. Still nice that we have a real stadium name and not a corporate name that changes every couple of years. It is still truly the people's stadium.

43 - I just don't see Ned trading Kent, Drew or Nomar

Kent's extension was by far the worst decision out of Colletti in his tenure here.

It means three things - one, we're stuck with Kent long past his expiration date; two, he's virtually untradeable now; and three, Ned wasn't going to trade him anyway.

44

Agree for the most part, although I do hope Kent can bounce back from these nagging injuries. However, with age being a factor, I think we could see a sharp downside from now on. I doubt we could get much for him at this point, but you never know. Some teams may really be better off with a power hitting second baseman vs. what they have now at that position. It is all for naught though as I doubt Ned would consider trading him.

45 - He makes about $10M next year. And assuming he doesn't spend significant time on the DL, he'll make $10M the next (2008!). Whoopee.

36 - Would the Astros GM take Baez for Lidge?

I think that deal is more viable as just Kent for the prospects.

I think the best we can hope for regarding Jeff Kent is that he decides to retire early and forfeit the remainder of his contract. He has intimated in the past that he doesn't really like playing baseball, and if his Dodger-related injuries and commitments start limiting his participation in his favorite activity (i.e. "truck-washing"), he may choose to call it quits.

Not saying it's likely, but a guy can hope...

Buyer v. Seller? Is the switch off or on? Bill James wrote in the 88 Abstract that he was no longer going to do the thing because he began to see the absurdity of trying to explain a complex analysis to a world that only wanted to find the switch. 06 Dodgers = Ballplayer Broke.

Apparently Bob has a new website. http://tinyurl.com/h8q

48 - I remember Ryne Sandberg did that (not sure if it was the 1st or 2nd time).

Has anyone else forfeited a (substantial) contract by retiring?

48 Any chance he can get Drew interested in that and retiring with him? No matter what Flanders does now, he has already given me more than enough reason to hate him through all eternity. A chimp flipping a yes or no coin would not likely have made as many bad decision. He has the curse of the Giants on him...

41 Am I the only one who goes to the Short Stop on Sunset before games? $1.50 pabst and you save $10 on parking, not to mention the ease of leaving games and not dealing with the parking lot...

You'd only want to dump Drew if you truely thought he was going to turn into Luis Gonzalez.

If you believe he's just having a down year (and Carlos Beltran had a much worse season last year than Drew is having this season), then you keep him. Some players just have bad years. Paul Konerko has had a bad season in his prime also. Mark Teixiera is having an awful season compared to his career averages.

11mils for Drew's career averages of .280/.390/.500 is a good price. Declaring a guy done when he's only 30yrs old, is very risky.

Too bad for Floyd Landis. I guess it was a little too unbelievable that a guy needing hip replacement surgery could win the Tour De France on his own.

http://tinyurl.com/zo7vt

54 Remember your comment and review it a year from now. Injuries have eroded his health, he will never be an all star level player again. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he retires in the next year or two. Maybe he should consider opting out and seeking a contract in the AL. Being a DH would be a lot easier on his body.

56 - Backhanded compliment of the day:

Even in this washout of a season by Drew's standards, he's still waaay better than Shawn Green, who's been "reborn" this year.

55 There are people that would argue that no rider in recent history has won the Tour on his own.

Shoot, the top 5 runner-ups to Lance last year were all DQ'd right before this year's race. It seems to be an arms race where everyone is afraid to stay clean because they know everyone else is doping.

Luis Gonzalez is better than JD Drew RIGHT NOW. I'd trade 'em straight up.

58
Some of us think the same way about baseball.

"Viva Pol Pot!"

52 Since you admit that nothing Colletti does at this point will change your opinion of him (from "hate"), you sort of render any of your future opinions on his decisions as Dodger GM kind of moot, no? Just sayin'... As for me, I'm happier for most of the moves Colletti hasn't made, which could include this deadline, and which involves keeping the future intact. Isn't that as much something that should go on a GM's dossier as trades they did make? Right now I give his overall moves (the public ones) a C+, which isn't terrible, and with the way the Dodgers have drafted the past few years, I'd say the future is a lot brighter than the darkness this past week implies.

53 The Short Stop is great, but being a dad now, I don't have the liberty of booze-only pregame outings. As such, I've become a fan of the new El Compadre right next door. The food is considerably better than their Hollywood location, the drinks still good and cheapish, and they have a fun atmosphere.

52. That's unfair blu2. Neddie didn't leave us with OPerez and Neddie's not handing out 5 year deals to 30 year olds who require a game off a week.

Since you admit that nothing Colletti does at this point will change your opinion of him (from "hate"),

I think Hendrickson for Navarro, Tomko as a starter, and signing Lofton to play CF, has brought Ned's grade down so low, that at least for this year it'd be near impossible for him to get a passing grade.

I mean, the guy considered Martin an untouchable, and traded Navarro for Mark Hendrickson...! Thats insanity on many levels.

59 - They're having similar seasons, statistically. I wouldn't say Luis is "better" because I think JD brings more defensively. Luis is a FA after this season though.

Plus Drew is 30.
Gonzo is close to 40.

And defensively, its not even close.

JD can still throw a baseball. I'm not so sure about Luis.

59-

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

As for the rest of the talk, most of you are right we couldn't get anything for Nomar now.

37-

The issue with trading these guys isn't what we'd be getting back since ANY return is good. We're not going to keep these players, so you might as well give them the Sandy Alomar treatment. Get rid of them for a low level prospect and move on. Saito gets mentioned because he actually has a ton of value. I also believe you're wrong on how long we control him...I think he's only signed to a one year deal. Relievers are going for a premium right now...we're not going anywhere, so why not cash in on it while we can?

All I know is that I've got the heebie jeebie's about this offseason. We're going to have a lot of money come off the books and if Colletti had half a brain (which he doesn't) he'd ditch all the worthless parts like Izturis to pile up as much money he can to make a strong run after a combo of Zito/Schmidt/Soriano.

LOL.. JoeyP. So who should have been starting in place of Tomko assuming Sele never emerged early? DJ Houlton. LOL...

Thinkblue. You do realize Gonzo had as many homers and double by noon pacific today than JD's had the past month..... and Gonzo's posting a higher OPS for the season... and Gonzo's contract is basically up at the end of the year....

so

Neddie would be crazy NOT to tade Drew for Gonzo straight up if Gonzo would waive the NTC. Drew would be gone, Gonzo would be gone at season send and we'd have an extra 33 mils over 3 seasons to get a run producer, not a player who's greatest arsenal is the walk.

69-

Tomko should never have been signed in the first place. ESEPCIALLY not for two years.

So who should have been starting in place of Tomko assuming Sele never emerged early?

who cares who would have started? Tomko is terrible...just about anyone could do equally as bad. Heck, we could have had Jackson post those numbers for a fraction of the cost...and we wouldn't have gotten Baez in the process.

Face it, the guy you call "Midas" is a terrible GM and outside of the Eithier move, has made awful move after awful move.

Can we start the Andy LaRoche countdown already? And has Kershaw been promoted yet?

Also, does it concern anyone that Loney's Isolated paitence is only like .45 or so? Or is it that he's just getting too many good pitches to hit, so he's not waiting around?

72.

But, if he starts selling guys like Lofton and Izzy to play guys like LaRoche and Kemp, and then starts making better moves, will you please give him another chance?

I mean, Paul didn't get a fair chance yes, but to judge Colleti this quickly is even worse.

2006 eqa / FRAR:

Drew: .281 / 11
Gonzo: .279 / 3
Green: .268 / 2

Clearly Drew is the best of the bunch. And remember, this is a BAD YEAR for Drew.

73-

Laroche in september and hopefully Izzy is gone.

As far as Loney goes, I just think he's a big time contact hitter kind of like Nomar. When he was with the team he didn't K much, but he also didn't hit for a good average. The good thing is he was putting the bat on the ball the vast majority of the time. I think he's just one of those hitters who doesn't walk much, but doesn't K much either.

* But, if he starts selling guys like Lofton and Izzy to play guys like LaRoche and Kemp, and then starts making better moves, will you please give him another chance?

I mean, Paul didn't get a fair chance yes, but to judge Colleti this quickly is even worse.*

The problem is that Flanders' moves have been about fifty steps beyond illogical. I'm not judging Colletti quickly...I've sat through his terrible signings, his terrible trades and STILL waited to see how they've panned out...and look, our team is awful. I've held out judgment until now but there's simply no denying it. Signing Mueller for two years when you have Laroche for '07? How does that make ANY sense? Especially when you could have just put Aybar at third from the get go....I honestly wonder sometimes what this guy is thinking.

The key to your first paragraph is "starts making better moves". That's the thing, he won't make better moves. He's already proven over and over that he's completely incompetent. If he manages to somehow get out from under Kent's extension and deals dead weight like Izturis while bringing in Zito or Schmidt then I may start to look at him another way....

I also agree with Jon. He is right on the money. Getting on of these hitters, Lee/Soriano for a two month rental is not going to help get us in the playoffs this year. I want to see us be competitive for a decade again where we can have 2-5 shots at a World Series in a ten year span. I don't just want to be the weak-kneed brother limping into the playoffs with 84 wins and being roadkill in the first round. Nomar being hurt probably guarantees he won't be traded this weekend, but for me that's okay, he is one veteran I would like to see stay. Broxton, Bills, Ethier and Martin will contribute even more as they get more experience and Kemp is an athlete and once he solves his "Pedro Cerrano" problem with hitting "Uncle Charlie" he'll be a stud!! Get the spare parts veterans off the books and we can make a run at a legit #1 starter as mentioned above and a stud power hitter!

The Izzy thing is really perplexing. If Ned doesnt trade him this weekend, then all the playing time Izzy has accumulated at 3rd over the last month will have been a gigantic waste.

If the Dodgers just want to prove Izturis is healthy, they could have just kept him at Vegas and had him play SS for that team.

I dont understand what they are doing with Izturis. He has no future with the team at 3rd base, so why not play LaRoche,Guzman, or Aybar at 3rd. Like Bobby pointed out, Izzy's one of the worst 3rd basemen in baseball. No other team is going to want him as a 3rd basemen. At the same time, the Dodgers are killing his trade value by showing off his anemic bat and NOT letting him play SS.

Common sense would say Izturis should be at Vegas, playing SS, and putting up good offensive numbers.

Playing 3rd, putting up bad offensive numbers, in LA does him nor the team any good.

The key to your first paragraph is "starts making better moves". That's the thing, he won't make better moves. He's already proven over and over that he's completely incompetent.

Already gotten rid of Perez and Alomar, so you know I'm pretty sure that guys like Cruz, Ledee, Lofton, and Baez are next.

And again, less than 1 year is not enough of a sample size to judge a guy.

So, is Loney the 1B version of Ethier, batting-wise? Guys that hit line drives and not many home runs?