Texas did a nice job this deadline. Very impressed with the haul they got for a 20 inning closer free agent and soon to be free agent 1st baseman who will scorn the team that purged it's future for him.

Although I still don't think the Sox' title is secured just yet.

How much ya wanna bet they get earmarked "incomplete" or even "losers?"

That doesn't stop Juan Pierre...

"In the end, yes, I wish we got more for Betemit. But the bottom line for me is that the Dodgers still have Loney, Kemp, Ethier, Broxton, Bills, Hu, Kershaw, DeJesus, Young, and the rest of the farm. Sometimes the best deal a GM can make is the one he turns down. I give Ned credit for that."

This is pretty much how I feel about it. I'll miss Betemit Gum hitting his home runs for us, now and then. I'll miss him on the bench. I'm somewhat overjoyed that some of the other rumors did not come to pass, however..... On late last Friday afternoon, after a very busy few hours at work, someone mentioned off-handedly that Loney had been traded for Teixeira, thinking I'd already heard about it. Pretty much ruined the little outing I was wrapping up at the time. Then, I came here to DT, and found that was just some sports writer's imagination. We still had Loney! After that experience, this trade just doesn't upset me so much. Might help a little in relief. Just not that bad at all, considering some of our fears.

Best Batting Average Against LHP, MLB, 2007:
1. Ryan Braun, MIL, .500
2. James Loney, LAD, .474
3. Magglio Ordonez, DET, .435

I tease, but like I said, I don't disagree with the main point (LaRoche should be in the lineup).

Nomar hasn't really been hurt this year (to the extent that he's missed any time). I'm not, you know rooting for it, but he is about due for an oblique or quad to start flaring up. Then you bring up LaRoche.

I do like Delwyn's promotion though. He seems like the kind of guy that could "fall outta bed hitting".

On the micro level, this deal really pisses me off. It happened because of Colletti and Little's mismanagement of the roster, the committment to the Nomar death march. Betemit is the best .230 hitter in baseball. Proctor is overworked and his k/bb ratio blows. Now I don't think Betemit is ever going to set the world on fire but he's been better than Nomar since April and at the very worst they should be platooning right now. This is another classic sell low move by Colletti. Why is it we do a better job of scouting raw 18 year olds who've never played professionally before than we do of scouting "proven veterans" who are supposed to be known quantities?

On the other hand, LaRoche is the one we're looking to for the future, so Betemit was going to get traded eventually and hey we need all the pitching help we can get. Maybe the switch in leagues will help him out. Only Colorado in this division throws out a lineup to be scared of so hopefully he can mow down the Padres and the Giants. Note to Scott, your Dodger career will be insufferable if you give up 756 this week.

I'd like to have done better, but Betemit was on his way out one way or another. I just hope that when the time comes, and it will be soon, LaRoche will be able to wrestle the job away from Nomar. At some point, we have to get the balls to figure out something to do with him to get LaRoche in the lineup like we did to get Loney in. Also, if we think Meloan can't hold up to the rigors of being in a big league bullpen, we should have traded him with Betemit to get something than Proctor in return.

Loney vs. LHP......hmmm.

Back to my day job.

Dodger outfielders against LHP, 2007:

Gonzalez .329/.393/.500 (76 AB)
Ethier .329/.372/.466 (73 AB)
Kemp .350/.422/.550 (40 AB)
Pierre .241/.271/.268 (112 AB)

I hate to wish for something to harm a guy's career, and I certainly don't wish any sort of debilitating injury to befall him. Just something that's enough to get him out of the lineup. His multiyear contract is in place whether he plays or not, and frankly the fate of the Dodgers as a whole is much more important to me.

The idea of Nomar being an albatross makes me a sad panda.

Well, if you had to pick a guy, right?

It's not like we're aiming for Cal Ripken or AC Green to get hurt. I mean, it's Nomar.

I blame Barry Bonds' pirouette for this.

As for everything else, I'm glad Ned didn't do anything incredibly crazy (like trade Kemp and Either for a mid-level starting pitcher, or go after Texeria).

I still think the Dodgers have a decent chance to win the pennant. I don't believe that Gagne puts the BoSox over the top (I think the team to beat in the AL is the Angels).

It'll be interesting to see what happens the rest of the year and what the team does after the season (hopefully it involves moving Nomar, Gonzo, and Kent).

"He's been very productive and played for winners, and I think he will be effective in a rotation with a lot of young guys -- a veteran, experienced guy who will help us out a great deal," Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said.

"The Pittsburgh Pirates got pitcher Matt Morris from San Francisco on Tuesday, an uncommon deal for an out-of-contention team at the trading deadline."

I do not belive, what I just wrote.

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Ya know, I like Nomar. I wish he wasn't a full time player for us, but I don't have a problem with him being on the team. I certainly don't wish for him to get injured...

It sucks that any of you would hope Nomar gets injured. Maybe if he played up to our expectations, he wouldn't be in the way. Perhaps there are other people in the way that you'd like to be rid of. Think about it!

Regarding your trade: to be blunt, you guys got completely hosed. Scott Proctor has been ridden like a bloody mule by Torre and the Yankees this year. As in, he has an 8.30 (or so) ERA against the Sox this year. Maybe that's just against us and not indicative of the future, but....One of the reasons we won in 2004 is that Torre blew out Paul Quantrill and Tom Gordon's arms by the post-season. Proctor is well on his way to being "Quantrill-ized", as we call it. Maybe he'll do better in the NL, but I'd watch that arm.