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About Jon
Thank You For Not ...

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with

DePodesta Shortchanged?
2005-04-15 09:54
by Jon Weisman

The name-angsting Fire Jim Tracy offers this piece by Jerry Fors arguing that Dodger general manager Paul DePodesta hasn't been given enough credit for his performance in 2004. An excerpt:

That 2003 team had a lot of positives: a legitimate ace (Brown), a lights-out bullpen, stellar defense (Beltre, Cesar Izturis, Alex Cora), boatloads of veteran experience (Green, Jordan, Fred McGriff), and a slugger (Green) who had hit 91 home runs in the previous two seasons combined. Dodger fans, however, learned (or re-learned) a few hard lessons that summer: sometimes proven sluggers have their shoulders fall off, sometimes veteran experience doesn't count for squat, and sometimes having the best pitching in the world doesn't translate into success, especially if your team can't hit.

[Last year] was supposed to be a rebuilding year-Jeff Weaver in, Kevin Brown out, no Vladimir Guerrero, no sign of Green's shoulder-fans would have understood if new GM Paul DePodesta couldn't turn around this old and creaky ship right away. But DePodesta was proactive: he got offensive help before the season started (Milton Bradley), and in July he tried to patch up the team's weaknesses (starting pitching, Jim Tracy starting Juan Encarnacion every day). The fans fussed but the 2004 version of the Dodgers nevertheless won the NL West and won a playoff game for the first time in sixteen years.

Maybe DePodesta and the Dodgers' front office need to work on communication skills-McCourt acknowledged as much when he fired Lon Rosen and a couple of other executives a few weeks ago. But hasn't DePodesta earned some currency with last year's success?

I'm actually not sure "fans would have understood" if DePodesta had truly spent the year in rebuilding mode, but I'm intrigued by the idea that criticism of DePodesta could ultimately have been the product of his ambition.

Comments (88)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2005-04-15 10:16:40
1.   Eric Enders
It seems to me that over the past year the Dodgers have received more criticism from both fans and media than they have in any other year. Which is weird, since it was the most successful season in 15 years. Part of it is the Plashkean fear of new ideas, which is shared by many.

But I think part of it is also just the fact that there's been so much change. It was pointed by someone (forget who) that only one Dodger regular remains from Spring Training 2004 -- Izturis. I doubt the Dodgers have ever had quite so much turnover before, and that's the reason for all the hand-wringing over a (so far) successful team.

2005-04-15 10:21:32
2.   Eric Enders
It's a Schmoll World, April 15:

When Steve Schmoll first tried out for the University of Maryland baseball team as a freshman walk-on in 1999, he was told to go home. The next year he tried again, and made the team. He was a bad pitcher in his first three years as a Terp, posting season ERAs of 5.09, 7.46, and 7.44. But as a fifth-year senior, Schmoll developed his sidearm motion. "I remember it vividly," Terrapins coach Terry Rupp told the Daily News. "He was right out there in front of the dugout. When I saw him throw that way, I thought, 'Whoa, we may have something here.'"

During his senior season Schmoll, using the sidearm delivery only intermittently, posted a 3.49 ERA while nearly matching his strikeout total from the previous three years combined. "He was a blip on the radar before the season and he just blossomed into a big dot on the radar," Rupp said.

2005-04-15 10:32:02
3.   Dr Love
"He was a blip on the radar before the season and he just blossomed into a big dot on the radar," Rupp said.

I need the dude from Spaceballs to read this to me for full effect.

2005-04-15 10:41:55
4.   Eric Enders
No, Dr. Love, we didn't see you playing with your dolls again.
2005-04-15 10:48:28
5.   Dr Love
No, Dr. Love, we didn't see you playing with your dolls again.

That was my stunt double.

2005-04-15 10:57:28
6.   bigcpa
Shocking fact of the day- Bill Plaschke actually endorsed the Piazza trade. The last line is loaded with irony.

May 16, 1998

"As Dodger fans stagger numbly today into a new era, part outraged, part inspired, mostly confused, peace can be found at the other end of a question.

Are you still about winning?

If so, then you will applaud the trade of Mike Piazza.

For the first time since the free agent-bloated Dodger squad stumbled in the final days of 1991, your team is bold again.

Your team is willing to risk public wrath for a shot at championships again."

2005-04-15 11:02:09
7.   Steve
Jim Eisenreich had heart and soul.
2005-04-15 11:03:27
8.   wkk
DePo has ambition, it isn't blind, and it's clearly backed by a plan. That he has been criticized so harshly, with rare attempt to even try to understand that plan, has me more interested in the Dodgers and baseball than ever before. It really is The Fountain Head!
2005-04-15 11:05:16
9.   bigcpa
Another solid Plaschke column that I dug up was from July 2001. When the Giants acquired Schmidt from Pittsburgh he complained about the state of the Dodgers' farm system and their inability to make key midseason acquisitions.

So open question... when exactly did Bill Plaschke jump the shark?

2005-04-15 11:10:11
10.   Bob Timmermann
Plaschke was also critical of the Dodgers not making a deal when the Padres acquired Giles from the Pirates.
2005-04-15 11:19:37
11.   bigcpa
Ok so he still made sense in August 2003. Any other evidence?
2005-04-15 11:35:59
12.   Ben P
On a more positive note, ESPN resident Dodger fan Eric Neel (Olney doesn't count) has a nice piece on Dodger hatred. It's good that there are people like him and Neyer to balance out Morgan and Olney.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2036973&type=story

2005-04-15 11:46:56
13.   KenP
Thanks, Ben P, for the link to that article. Sums up how I've been feeling.
2005-04-15 12:08:52
14.   Suffering Bruin
Eric, I'm on a quick break from work but I wanted to take a moment to comment on post #2...

Bravo!

2005-04-15 12:18:07
15.   mcrawford
Yeah, the Neel piece definitely sums up how I feel too. I have to defend the Dodgers even to Dodgers fans -- I expect to defend them to all the Giants fans up here in NoCal, but this year even Dodgers fans hate the team. It's so weird.

Why all the hatred? I can only imagine that people actually read the Plaschke and Simers doo-doo, and it seeps into their brain like the mold spores on last night's CSI.

2005-04-15 12:21:46
16.   Dr Love
"Why all the hatred?"

People don't like change, I think it's as simple as that.

2005-04-15 12:23:26
17.   Jim Tracy
BigCPA,

For me, Plaschke got really annoying and started writing please-the-lowest-common-denominator-fans articles was after he started getting so much face time on TV the last couple of years. All these ESPN shows and FSN shows, he has become almost incapable of accepting a bold idea and will trash any change because he knows that there is a deluge of articles that the Times is receiving from fans worried about change. So he feeds their fears and comes up with articles ranging from they-can-never-win-with-this-owner, without-this-player, without-the-guy-whose-front-row-seats-went-up-six-times, and my favorite type of articles, the-won-today-but-how-long-can-it-last?

2005-04-15 12:25:52
18.   mcrawford
The Lowe-Down, 4/15/05:
Derek Lowe looks goofy:
http://tinyurl.com/dh9l4

Just kidding. I got nothing. Keep up the real good work, SB (and EE).

Actually I think the funnier picture is Brad Penny's:
http://tinyurl.com/4myxl
Because he looks like Abe Lincoln...get it? Penny, Lincoln...

2005-04-15 12:26:48
19.   Robert Fiore
What I really found odd is the "Give poor Paul a chance" tone of Gammons' article on ESPN. You'd have thought the team was on a losing streak rather than the hottest team in baseball.

As for his early performance, I think you have to acknowledge a few rookie weaknesses: Trading players without have a clear replacement on hand, getting involved in complicated Rube Goldberg trades. Also, it's not always easy to emotionally understand decisions based on frugality, even if they help competitiveness in the long run. A lineup with both Beltre AND Drew would be much more formidable, though I don't suppose that was ever in the cards.

2005-04-15 12:38:33
20.   Eric Enders
Re Plaschke's "face time" -- You know, I don't even know what the dude looks like. I don't recall ever having seen him before. Didn't realize he did a lot of TV shows.
2005-04-15 12:41:10
21.   Dr Love
Plaschke is on Around the Horn of Blowhards on ESPN.
2005-04-15 12:44:19
22.   Eric Enders
Ah, OK. I guess you can tell how often I watch that.
2005-04-15 12:46:11
23.   Dr Love
Ah, OK. I guess you can tell how often I watch that.

I'd venture to say about as often as I do. Which is never.

2005-04-15 12:59:31
24.   dzzrtRatt
DePo had the misfortune of walking in the door with McCourt. McCourt is still a suspect as far as many are concerned, so DePo's motives are viewed skeptically. What looks like possible genius/prudent risk-taking to some, looks like a hired hand executing a salary dump to others who can't see DePo due to McCourt's long shadow. It's unfair, but he has to win at least the division again this year to shake it.
2005-04-15 12:59:54
25.   mad reefer
Just had an absolutely earth shattering comment lost to cyberspace.

Previewed a comment, clicked edit again, and it took me back to the thread sans comment. Any ideas?

2005-04-15 13:02:33
26.   Dr Love
Previewed a comment, clicked edit again, and it took me back to the thread sans comment. Any ideas?

I've had that happen. Just copy the text next time in case it happens again.

2005-04-15 13:06:01
27.   Eric Enders
I've also had that happen many times in the past few days. Fortunately, the BTF post-eating monster had gotten me in the habit of copying all my posts before clicking the "submit" button.
2005-04-15 13:07:43
28.   Sam DC
I've had that happen too.
2005-04-15 13:07:50
29.   Sam DC
I've had that happen too.
2005-04-15 13:08:00
30.   Sam DC
Just kidding.
2005-04-15 13:08:17
31.   gvette
Re Plaschke;

The only Times columnist who strongly opposed the Piazza deal was the late Jim Murray. Plaschke was its biggest cheerleader in the paper.

About a year before. Plaschke had gone after Piazza claiming that he stiffed kids for autographs after the game,without getting Piazza's side of the story. The story turned out to be a lie, and Plaschke had to backtrack. Shows the level of "credibility", as Simers likes to call it, of the Times Sports Page. Kind of like how the Times invents a dubious story about fraternity deaths in Chico, which is now under investigation as fraudulent.

Plaschke also advocated the trade of Sheffield, which he later admitted was a mistake, and of course last September, demanded Bradley be kicked off the team.

2005-04-15 13:16:49
32.   Eric Enders
By the way, who do I strangle with regard to the game not being on Extra Innings tonight?
2005-04-15 13:18:27
33.   Dr Love
By the way, who do I strangle with regard to the game not being on Extra Innings tonight?

WHAT?!?! Now I have nothing to do tonight. Nothing.

2005-04-15 13:19:51
34.   Rainman
I'd have to say that I'd never consider the Sheffield trade a mistake. It yielded LA a very good young lefty with the potential to be a lot better, dumped a ton of payroll, and ridded ourselves of one of the biggest turds to ever play the game. It was very hard for me to root for Sheffield's Dodgers - just couldn't cheer for the guy.
2005-04-15 13:20:41
35.   Eric Enders
Tom Martin, ex-Brave.

Anybody need a LHP? Maybe Shuey could sign him to a personal services contract.

2005-04-15 13:28:25
36.   Steve
THE DODGERS AREN'T ON EXTRA INNINGS TONIGHT?

Those bastards.

2005-04-15 13:29:20
37.   The Saul
Why am I so excited about tonight's game?
I mean, it's only April, but suffering through an off day like yesterday is torturous.
I guess I am just anxious to see how Lowe throws tonight since he got beaned.

From the "best things in live ARE free!" department:
As a bartender, I will get to watch the Dodgers play San Diego on the bar tv tonight while making money and flirting with the waitresses and cute patrons.

2005-04-15 13:31:04
38.   wkk
Your opinion of Plaschke would sink lower if you did ever see him on Around the Horn. He comes off as a total buffoon.
2005-04-15 13:32:03
39.   Sam DC
I'd just like to point out that comments of mine seem to have killed the last three threads. Hmmmm . . . perhaps there is something to this spending-to-much-time-frittering-on-the-internet thing. Now, can we can make it four for four.
2005-04-15 13:32:09
40.   gvette
"Tom Martin, ex Brave"

Wow, the Braves just gutted the Heart and Soul(tm) of their bullpen. Clearly that Braves GM Schuerholz is in over his head.

As for Sheffield, I personally could live without him on the Dodgers, but he would have helped a lot in 2003.

2005-04-15 13:35:34
41.   Dr Love
Wow, the Braves just gutted the Heart and Soul(tm) of their bullpen.

Didn't they do that when they moved Smoltz to the rotation?

2005-04-15 13:36:26
42.   Ken Arneson
I'm gonna remove that "Edit Again" button, and put another edit form on the same page as the preview form. The "Edit Again" button is just doing a JavaScript browser back function, but browsers don't always remember what was in the form.

In the meantime, if it happens again, try hitting your browser's forward button. You may find your previewed text available for cut and paste.

2005-04-15 13:37:45
43.   Dello
appears that Martin's spot was taken by ex-Dodger, Frank Brooks, who was dropped from the 40 man roster a few days ago. speaking of ex-Dodgers, Ward and Ross were heros for the Bucs today. with their bats, believe it or not.
2005-04-15 13:42:54
44.   Jon Weisman
New, positive Dodger features:

Dioner Navarro:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/births/2005/apr/15/518608705.html

Kim Ng:

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=2037957

2005-04-15 13:44:15
45.   Jon Weisman
Dello, are you sure you weren't reading an old game story about Ward and Ross?
2005-04-15 13:45:25
46.   Jerry
Too bad that Ng feature is only for Insiders. Any interesting tidbits?
2005-04-15 13:48:40
47.   T Money
For those who live and die by the capricious Extra Innings schedule, and who don't consider ESPN's live stats a fitting alternative, I might suggest an XM radio. I just got one, and they seem to play the local radio feeds for virtually all of the games.

Plus, they have a channel just aimed at truckers. It's like "Smokey And The Bandit" come to life. I can't emphasize enough how cool that is.

2005-04-15 13:52:02
48.   Steve
Cool indeed
2005-04-15 13:52:32
49.   Dello
you're right, Jon. Google led me astray. But, it does seem shocking enough to repeat, don't you think?
2005-04-15 13:54:25
50.   Bob Timmermann
The Padres broadcasts aren't part of the Extra Innings package. The Blue Jays aren't. The Phillies weren't last year either. I've yet to see a Nationals broadcast, but I think they will show up since they will share the Orioles channel.

The Dodgers game is on KCOP, so it's not available for Extra Innings. Saturday and Sunday will be on FSN2, so they should show up on Extra Innings.

Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2005-04-15 14:04:27
51.   Dr Love
Phillies still aren't on Extra Innings. Which is a good and bad thing, it means you don't get to hear Chris Wheeler (good), but you don't get to hear Harry Kalas (bad), even if Harry spends way too much time playing umpire in the booth nowadays.
2005-04-15 14:07:04
52.   gvette
Re: Ward and Ross

Before we get carried away;

Ward's HR the other night broke an 0 for 16 streak, and on the season he is 2 for 20. Dan Evans is probably trying to persuade Bavasi to pick him up for Seattle as a bargain;

Ross is currently hitting .333 (5 for 15). There is no known scientific, or empirical basis for this happening, and religious scholars are researching whether Dave Ross hitting .333 is one of the signs of the End of the World. Anyway,once Santiago, and Cota get healthy, Ross is probably going to the minors.

2005-04-15 14:09:10
53.   Bob Timmermann
Don't Kalas and Wheeler hate each other?

The Cardinals turn up only when they're on Fox, which is a minority of their games. I believe the Cubs moved to Comcast.

It's nearly impossible to avoid YES on Extra Innings.

The Devil Rays seemingly are always available. I watch them sometimes just because I feel obilgated because I paid for the service.
It's my $149 and darn it, I'm going to watch Tampa Bay play Kansas City if I can.

2005-04-15 14:15:22
54.   Steve
Ross would have had to go 10 for 15 before the world ended.
2005-04-15 14:15:55
55.   Bob Timmermann
I watched the first episode of the NBC miniseries "Revelations" and I believe David Ross had a small role. I think lightning came out of his bat or something like that.

Daryle Ward will be appearing in the CBS TV movie "Locusts".

2005-04-15 14:18:47
56.   Dr Love
Don't Kalas and Wheeler hate each other?

Yes. Kalas's contract was up after the 2003 season. In contract negotiations, he asked to not have Wheeler be his broadcast partner. (He never publicly said this, it was a leaked story) This gave Phillies fans another reason to love Harry, as if they didn't have enough. The Phillies though, did not give in, and they still work together.

Wheeler is just terrible. As a play by play guy he's bad, and for some reason they have him do color as well, and he's god awful, and apparently the players don't like him doing it.

2005-04-15 14:20:49
57.   chumsferd
"Your opinion of Plaschke would sink lower if you did ever see him on Around the Horn. He comes off as a total buffoon. "

and this is different from how he comes across in print...?

Why is it that practically everything I want to read on ESPN I have to pay for, and everything for free is total crap (except Neel and the occasional Gammo).

2005-04-15 14:24:33
58.   gvette
Actually, I believe that both Dave Ross' batting average and Jose Offerman's continued presence in the Majors were foretold in the DaVinci Code.

In the face of such supernatural events, no wonder the Cardinals are taking their time picking the next Pope.

2005-04-15 14:24:43
59.   Dr Love
Why is it that practically everything I want to read on ESPN I have to pay for, and everything for free is total crap

Most of the paid stuff is junk too.

2005-04-15 14:29:22
60.   Sam DC
I think they should let the Brewers pick this time. After all, they're in first place, and it might shake things up a little bit.
2005-04-15 14:29:25
61.   Dr Love
Alright, I just popped on Around the Horn of Blowhards for not even 30 seconds and there was Plaschke tooting his own horn.
2005-04-15 14:34:54
62.   Bob Timmermann
The Jerry Crasnick article about Ng and also Yankees assistant GM Jean Afterman is pretty good.

It's too long to copy out the good parts.

But if you're curious, Crasnick says her last name is pronouned "ANG", although most people seem to say "ING". Most people being me.

2005-04-15 14:36:46
63.   Bob Timmermann
Speaking of "Around the Horn" and its ilk, I can't understand what people like about "Pardon the Interruption"? Is there a reason why I should enjoy watching Kornheiser and Wilbon yell at each other about which team in the NBA Eastern Conference has better point guards?
2005-04-15 14:37:11
64.   gvette
Which way did "Bullet" Bill Singer pronounce Ms.Ng's name?
2005-04-15 14:37:44
65.   Suffering Bruin
2:31 pm. Today is my wife's birthday, my son's baseball practice and I've got two errands yet to run. So...

--------------------------------------------

Today's (oh so short) fact of Choi, SB's favorite player, 2005:

You've all probably heard the story that Choi grew up on a farm and that if he played well he got meat to eat. If he didn't play well, fruits and veggies.

"But Dad, he was left-handed and threw 95."

"Eat your radishes!!"

What's less well known are these two little tidbits:

1. Choi's family farm wasn't the stereotypical garden in the backyard but a bustling family business. Choi and his siblings were all involved at an early age. According to Choi, his home was perfect for farming. "The area I grew up in (was) less polluted and has better water than other areas of Korea," he said.

2. Choi is apparently well known for his prodigious appetite. For breakfast, he may eat 10 eggs, two orders of bacon, two orders of toast. For dinner, he may eat three steaks.

I assume the Dodger trainer measures his cholestrol in light years.

2005-04-15 14:39:56
66.   wkk
"and this is different from how he (Plaschke) comes across in print...?"

It's one thing to take verbal shots in one of his columns, quite another to actually see him attempt quick and witty rebuttals in the yelling matches that occur on Around the Horn.

Hey, Dodger Thoughts is free!

2005-04-15 14:45:59
67.   Bob Timmermann
Jason Reid had this account of the Ng-Singer "conversation" back in 2003:
Singer: What are you doing here?

Ng: I'm working.
Singer: What are you doing here?
Ng: I'm working. I'm the Dodger assistant general manager.
Singer: Where are you from?
Ng: I was born in Indiana and grew up in New York.
Singer: Where are you from?
Ng: My family's from China.
Singer: (Nonsensically mock Chinese). What country in China?

The sad part about this is that friends of mine who are Asian say it happens to them quite frequently. Especially the "Where are you from?"

I could answer "The San Fernando Valley" and not be asked any followup questions.

2005-04-15 14:49:20
68.   Dr Love
Speaking of "Around the Horn" and its ilk, I can't understand what people like about "Pardon the Interruption"? Is there a reason why I should enjoy watching Kornheiser and Wilbon yell at each other about which team in the NBA Eastern Conference has better point guards?

Well, they do have "5 good minutes" with a player, coach, writer or analyst about something specific. So it's got that over dreck like ATH. Kornheiser is, for a sportswriter, funny, and is a good ying to Wilbon's yang; they're rather entertaining. Guys like Bill Plaschke, Jay Mariotti, Woody Paige, et al shouting from the rooftops to "Stat Boy" isn't very entertaining.

Although neither is as terribly produced as Jim Rome's show.

2005-04-15 15:00:33
69.   The Saul
I've always liked PTI, I feel like they are more "fans who argue over sports" than "obnoxious sports writers trying to out yell each other", which is an important distinction.
Plus, they play off each other well.
2005-04-15 15:04:34
70.   Jim Tracy
Jim Rome is aboslutely rubbish. Out.
2005-04-15 15:04:41
71.   Bob Timmermann
But do Kornheiser and Wilbon ever talk about a sports figure who is outside the East Coast?

Has Kornheiser ever been to a sporting event in any place outside of Washington or New York? You know, maybe even a place as far east as Chicago.

2005-04-15 15:04:47
72.   Jim Tracy
Rack him
2005-04-15 15:09:41
73.   The Saul
Wilbon is from Chicago, and talks about Chicago teams all the time.

But you're right, they are very east-coast centric, but thats nothing new to espn.

2005-04-15 15:24:57
74.   alex 7
# 66. by wkk

Hey, Dodger Thoughts is free!

If you feel like changing that, there's that little "donate" button Jon enjoys people clicking on =)

Jim, have a preview of tonight's game for us yet?

2005-04-15 15:26:34
75.   Mark
"You've all probably heard the story that Choi grew up on a farm and that if he played well he got meat to eat. If he didn't play well, fruits and veggies."

Choi's a vegan? Who knew?!?

2005-04-15 15:26:56
76.   Jerry
Well, the last time we faced Woody Williams, we scored 3 runs in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Hopefully things go better tonight.

2005-04-15 15:34:25
77.   gvette
"Choi's a vegan? Who knew?!?"

That was actually going to be SB's Fact of Choi for tomorrow.

2005-04-15 15:39:33
78.   Im So Blue
Here's an article about Kim Ng in a Chinese publication -- NIHAO Magazine, an all-English in-flight magazine available on China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in the People's Republic of China.

http://www.csnnews.net/nihao/detail.asp?id=3245

2005-04-15 15:42:37
79.   Bob Timmermann
I remember watching Woody Williams throwing a 4-hitter for the Cardinals against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Even stranger was that Tony La Russa had Miguel Cairo batting third.

And the Dodgers leadoff hitter for that game was Adrian Beltre. And Eric Gagne was the starting pitcher.

2005-04-15 15:47:18
80.   wkk
Hey alex 7, thanks. As a reader since last Dec, my donation is long overdue.
2005-04-15 16:01:18
81.   Louis
Did Mitch Albom write this story?:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=545&ncid=755&e=8&u=/ap/20050415/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbn_dodgers_jackie_robinson

Looks like AP got ahead of themselves just a bit!

2005-04-15 16:06:15
82.   Jon Weisman
LOL Louis, looks like that one went out a little early, huh?
2005-04-15 16:11:24
83.   aloofman
What amazes me is that many of the naysayers that bashed DePodesta's moves in 2004 are the same ones who complain about breaking up their "championship chemistry" before this season. Can't have it both ways.

I agree that part of anti-DePodesta reaction has been because of McCourt and the ambiguous strength of his ownership, at least at the start. But it seemed to me that they deserved the benefit of the doubt because the Fox Way hadn't worked very well. I don't think a fan should be unhappy when a new owner comes in and wants to be the anti-Fox.

The only thing Plaschke's "Around the Horn" appearances do for him is to show that other sportswriters around the country are equally buffoonish. Every time I see Bob Ryan I want to punch his pasty face. For TJ Simers? A lead pipe. And for Skip Bayless? The same treatment Marv gave the punk in "Sin City": holding his face to the pavement from a moving car. But then I remember I can change the channel and all the rage goes away.

I have to admit that I kind of enjoy PTI sometimes because they seem to go out of their way to take opposing views, even ones they don't believe in, and take them to their ridiculous conclusions (especially Kornheiser). Unlike a lot of sportswriters-turned-chatterers, Kornheiser and Wilbon seem to enjoy sports without constantly comparing them to some unattainable idea. They admit when they can't explain why they like a particular athlete, and you know you've felt that way too.

I admit (even more reluctantly) that I used to listen to Rome's radio show often back in the mid-90s. For a while I kind of liked hearing the trash-talking, especially when he pulled the athletes themselves into it. The turning point was when he started spending a lot more time ragging on the "clones" than on sports. I haven't gone back since. But that brief infatuation did cause me to be one of the few viewers to see the ESPN2 show where Jim Everett blew a gasket, which was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on a talk show.

2005-04-15 16:46:37
84.   Jon Ericson
Last night my wife asked my who the heart-throb was on the Dodgers now that Green is in Arizona. Scott Erickson doesn't count because he is too-obviously married. I guessed Drew.

She's also commented on how much the Dodgers lost from a PR standpoint when they let Lima go, and she feels bad for all the people who bought Lo Duca jerseys. She wasn't sure if she could name anyone besides Gagne from this year's team.

As much as I prefer the new team over the old, I don't think my wife is wrong. They don't put GMs on trading cards because the stories most people are interested in are the player's stories. Will Beltre build on his success? Will Green continue to stand up for his religion? What crazy, goofy thing will Lima do next? Can Finley defy age for another season? It isn't as easy as watching the 11 o'clock news to answer these questions anymore.

2005-04-15 17:00:11
85.   alex 7
Looks like Ross hit his 2nd HR during tonight's game. and Nomo has thus far dished out 4 walks, a single, and a double in the 2nd inning vs the BoSox. David Ortiz might take him out of the game here.

Filler time......

oooh, Ortiz just hit a grand slam. How can I not feel bad for Nomo. Not sure why, I just feel for the guy. He's at the end of a baseball career, about to go into who knows what profession, he's playing in Tampy Bay, and an inning like this...

2005-04-15 22:10:51
86.   Todd
Glad to see D. Ross doing well. Given what we say in '03, this is not surprising. In baseball, hell, in too many sports, not enough patience in invested. I understand why the Dodgers did what they did but on the other hand, I really wanted to keep the guy. Then again, it's early. Well, Hideo gettin' beat by the Saaaaaawx puts him in good company.

I like PTI gotta admit. Kornheiser hams it up and Wilbon is a nice foil. It's a guilty pleasure but I do enjoy it. And if you can imagine (though I wouldn't advise it) Around the Horn was truly execrable when Max Kellerman was hosting it. He participated in the yelling whereas Stat Boy actually does a fairly decent job hosting it. Still, yeah, they're all a bunch of homers. Paige and Ryan actually make Plaschke seem reflective, they're such blowhards.

Oh yeah, and in response to the suggestion Milton wear #42, my name is Todd and I approve (of) that suggestion. Maybe MB would even behave better. Hey, just an idea, do you guys will have done something to get himself traded or released or something this year?

Rack 'em. Or something.

2005-04-16 01:02:36
87.   fanerman91
Perhaps David Ross's flashes of previous talent are a sign that the Dodgers and the fans should be more patient with struggling players with past histories of success (cough Choi cough)
2005-04-17 11:55:39
88.   adevandry
In comment #1, the poster said that Izturis is the only Dodger regular remaining from spring training 2004.

Did he forget about Jeff Weaver, Jayson Werth, Olmedo Saenz, Odalis Perez, and Duaner Sanchez? IIRC, Grabowski was around then also.

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