Manny being Manny,
What made the Dodgers lose, and
Do it for Torre.

Tomorrow night is Game 5 of the NLCS. With a devastating pair of home runs by Victorino and Stairs, the Dodgers find themselves in a pretty deep hole, looking up for a light or a miracle. Down in the series 1-3, they must now win not only tomorrow’s game but the next three in a row.


Manny comes to us, free-of-charge from Boston because of his publicized poor work ethic and more importantly, character flaws after pushing the team’s 64-year old secretary, Jack McCormick, over 16 tickets he wanted for a Red Sox–Houston game. I must admit, when I found out what he did to this old man, I was disgusted by Manny’s arrogance and lack of class. Hopefully Manny learned from his mistakes and wants to preserve his legacy as one of the best hitters in the game.

But aside from his off-the-field antics, no one can discredit his hitting ability or his clutch hitting in a pressure situation. Throughout the playoffs, he has been nothing but brilliant, able to hit or homer in critical situations. You can’t help but to marvel at his talent. So how is he able to hit so well? One factor is the free agent factor: There’s nothing like a free agent year to make you haul and pump up your marketability. But in addition to setting up the next team to pay you a multi-million dollar salary, unlike other players or rookies on the team, he is relaxed when approaching the plate. He doesn’t put pressure on himself to hit the game-winning home run, but has great patience to wait for good pitches and not swing at anything that comes close to the plate. That’s why sometimes he has a double or a single, and sometimes, he homers. There is no pressure for him, unlike the more inexperienced players, who are hungry, impatient, tense and wound up like stockbroker in the current economic roller coaster, not yet mature to trust on their natural talents. The Dodgers have a lot of talent, but how that talent is nurtured and matured will define the Dodgers’ future success.


I was never a huge fan of Joe Torre, because I hate the Yankees, but after seeing what the Yankees did to snub him out of the Yankee Stadium tribute, it would be really nice to see Torre back in the World Series while the other Joe sits at home watching one of the greats.

I have once heard that sports is 90% mental and 10% physical. Mental perspective and confidence leads to great plays or clutch performances and that can lead to momentum and momentum can lead to championships. If anyone has seen the Red Sox, after being down 0-3, to beat the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, and on to win the World Series, or when the SF Giants were just one out away from winning the 2002 World Series until Scott Spiezio of the Angels homers to turn the tide, anything can happen in baseball world.

Barry, Bengie and Herd's Theory of Fantasy Stat Geeks

Barry Bonds has decided to not play in the WBC. He states that he doesn't want to risk injury before the regular season begins. But how valid is that point if he was only scheduled to be a DH and not play the outfield at all? Interestingly enough, there's a tougher, Olympic-style steroids test that's administered in the WBC. Bonds, just returning from a golf tournament in the Dominican Republic avoided the subject with reporters there and therefore the questions he would have to dodge from the media. Then he conveniently posted his decision on his web site where he wouldn't have to field questions from hungry reporters. It's too bad that every news article, every record he may break in the future will always be in the shadow of his suspected steroid use. As much as I dislike the guy, I almost feel sorry for him.

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It is reported that the Dodgers, after a brief interest in catcher Bengie Molina, has decided to end their pursuit, according to the Daily News. It appears that Molina wanted more money (about $6 mil/year) than what the Dodgers were willing to spend and he may sit out the '06 season stating that, "I think I have done enough to deserve something. If I don't get that type of deal, I think I'm willing to sit out and see what happens next year. I hope it doesn't come to that". I'm still a firm believer that Molina is a good player with a lot to offer, but it looks like his only option would be with Tampa Bay.

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Today, on ESPN's morning show, the Herd, Host Collin Cowherd was ranting and raving about how stats/fantasy sports have ruined what sports is really all about. I don't always agree with the Herd, (although he does entertain me on my daily, morning commute) I have to agree with him on this one, that stat geeks are turning sports into a big calculation rather than what it is, a collection of moments of heroism and great competitive performance. There are just moments in history (whether it be social, political, natural or in the field of sports) that you can't measure with words, much less numbers. And there are players with less than phenomenal stats who make their own mark in sports history with their basket, homerun or tackle. Sports should me more than just collecting and regurgitating stats. It's believing in the Cinderella team in the NCAA final four or believing in the less than stellar baseball player who plays hard day in and day out (it's why I stand behind guys like David Eckstein, Darin Erstad and Bengie Molina). It's shallow to just measure a player by their numbers, because a player can bring integrity, great sportsmanship, humor, chemistry, wisdom, temperament and spark. I think once in a while, we all need to remember that athletes are human beings.

Eddie Murray & Bruin Basketball

Just when you thought the Dodgers were through, they announce yesterday that they've hired Eddie Murray as their new batting coach.

It's a great move. Who wouldn't want a Hall 0f Famer, ex-Dodger, switch-hitting, one of four players in history with 500 home runs (504) and 3,000 hits (3,255), an eight-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner as part of the coaching staff? This just may appease all the angry, disgruntled fans that have been complaining about McCourt hiring all the wrong people. Incidentally, McCourt will be interviewed on "Mason and Ireland" on ESPN 710 (Los Angeles) today at 3 PM.

There are still a lot of questions with Furcal's recovery from knee surgery, Gagne's recovery from elbow surgery, Drew's recovery from shoulder surgery, Lofton's durability, Garciaparra's consistency, and just how strong our pitching really is. But I must admit, the Dodgers look a lot better than they did 3 months ago. I still don't trust McCourt, but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Tonight the #11 (AP) UCLA Bruins play Washington State who is 4th in the PAC-10. The Bruins, even with the critical loss of Shipp, have been playing with passion this year and hopefully on their way to a winning season and and good show in March.

Deepest Condolences to Tony Dungy & his Family

It was announced yesterday that Indianapolis Colts' head coach, Tony Dungy's 18-year old son was found dead in his apartment. So far it has been ruled as a suicide, but an official autopsy is being conducted. It's a tremendous tragedy when you read of young adults committing suicide with so much of their life ahead. And I cannot fathom the sadness and grief that surrounds the parents of a son or daughter who commits suicide.

As I heard of this news, I heard more and more of Tony Dungy and the kind of man he is. He draws tremendous sympathy and respect from virtually every reporter, player and peer because of the kind of life he leads.

In a day and age where many stars and athletes attribute God as their source of goodness, Tony Dungy actually lives it out every day. It's hard to find Christians who actually act like Christians and yet Tony Dungy has done so without being preachy or condescending. His sincere compassion for those around him is an active part of his life, and he lets his actions speak louder than words.

Some close to Dungy say that he'll come back for the playoffs, but that after that, for this man who's life never revolved around football, he may just retire and do something else. He's been quoted in Sports Illustrated that he considered doing a prison ministry after he was fired from Tampa Bay. And for a man who took seriously, his role as a father, this devastating circumstance may just lead him to a different road.

My prayers and thoughts are with the Dungy family, may the Lord deeply comfort them in this difficult time.

The Dodgers keep adding

The Dodgers acquired Kenny Lofton for a one-year deal yesterday, and also offered Hee Sop Choi to a one-year deal that he ended up taking. The Dodgers pulled a fast one over Choi with a lookey-loo in his contract (taken from 6-4-2’s blogsite) :

It doesn't contain a standard-guarantee provision, meaning Choi receives only a percentage of his salary if he is released before Opening Day. If he is cut during the final two weeks of camp, Choi will get $178,278. If he is cut earlier than that, he will receive $118,852.

Either Choi is too nice or he needs a better agent.

I think that will complete McCourt’s spending spree. All in all, I feel a little better about the Dodgers than I did a month ago when McCourt could hardly drag any GM out here to LA. It is said that the Dodgers look like a used-car lot, but at least we didn’t lose any of our minor leaguers. And I’d add that Colletti was smart enough to sign 1-2 year deals. It’s a gamble for both the team and the players, but at least we have young players on the wings and you never know if these “old veterans”, (a nice way of saying over-the-hill players) will make a decent run for it.

A short note about Johnny Damon going to the Yankees for 4 years, $51 mil. What can you say, except that I’m not naïve enough to expect players to play for love of the game or loyalty. I’d just like to see Damon in his clean-shaven face and short haircut for the first time at Fenway Park next spring. Warning: watch out for bottles and tomatoes on the field.

Where will Bengie Molina go?

One of the reasons why I like the Angels so much is because of guys like Bengie Molina. It's not only his clutch hitting that was valuable, but it was also the way he handled the young Irvin Santana. Santana, even with his tremendous year, had some jitters here and there, some moments when he was wild. But Molina would always settle him down, guide him along, make him the better pitcher he is today.

I think the Angels should have offered Molina arbitration, but now that the market for catchers have shrunk and he is probably a little more anxious to get signed, why not the Dodgers sign him to a 2-year deal? You can always use more than one catcher, especially when Navarro is as young as he is. And how can you not like Molina at the number 5 spot in the batting order with his last season .295 BA, .446 SLG and 69 RBIs? He would also be the closest thing to replacing LoDuca with his popularity and likability.

This guy is a real find and I'm just surprised that there has been so little interest shown in him.

Could McCourt get smart?

There's finally been some action in the off-season for the Dodgers. We just picked up Bill Mueller from the Red Sox which is a great move and the credit can go both to Colletti & Grady, whom Mueller had ties with in SF and Boston. And it's reported that the Dodgers are also after Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders and they've lured Johnny Damon to a meeting in Los Angeles. This also comes at the heels of the Bradley trade to Oakland, where the Dodgers practically gave away Bradley for a minor leaguer. I still think Bradley had tremendous potential and I bet/hope that he will flourish into a major player that will haunt the Dodgers like the way Konerko has haunted the Dodgers.

All of Colletti's moves have been decent at best, paying more than what is needed, but at this stage of Dodger history, we need to overpay to get players to come to LA. 10 years ago, players would have taken a little less to play in LA, but now we need to make the extra effort and I think that is what Colletti is doing (minus the Bradley deal).

All in all, McCourt has been quiet lately on the front and if he is as smart as he likes to think he is, he will contiune to stay out of the lime light and just submerge himself under the waters. If he is at all concerned with PR, then no matter how much he is actually involved in the decisions, he needs to let the fans and media think that he is taking a lesser role. This will be the first step towards rebuilding a reputable organization.