Recently in Dodgers Category

I've finally decided to soften my views on Juan Pierre. He's been incredibly valuable, he's been a professional and nearly every time he's in the lineup he makes something happen.

He has been removed from the bad list. I'm not ready to move him to temporary free pass, but he's certainly on his way up.

Here's the rest.

You know what I am getting tired of hearing? Vin Scully saying "And the Dodgers strand a pair."

This team is leaving runners on all over the place and that is one of the problems that this team is having while playing under .500 since the All-Star Break.

Hitting with runners in scoring position is something that needs to be remedied, but there is no quick fix for it. It's either going to happen or it's not. The only thing in Joe Torre's power is how he assembles his lineup, which is one of the things I think needs to be done to fix the Dodgers.

How can that be done, you ask?

The Dodgers offense decided to take the night off in the series finale with the Padres, and one player in particular seems to be taking June off, along with much of the season.

Last year, win No. 40 didn't come until July 2 when the Dodgers beat the Astros in Houston 4-1, behind a strong effort from Hiroki Kuroda.

At that time, the Dodgers were 40-44.

It was tough to sit through the first round of the Major League draft and see the Dodgers without a pick, but the compensation round finally came and the club made its first pick.

Chad Billingsley should pitch well tonight. I say that implying that he needs to, but also expecting him to do so.

Let me just say thank goodness for Andre Ethier and his two wonderful swings. Without him, the Dodgers are looking at a four-game sweep at home against the Phillies, and instead of being 5-5 in their last 10, they'd be 3-7.

It's nice to win the occasional game that you had no business winning. We fans always remember the games the team lost, but should have won. So winning one they should have lost is nice.

I wish I knew what exactly to say about Rafael Furcal, but I don't. Clearly he is not the same player right now.

He's vital to the Dodgers offense and he just hasn't been able to get going. Is it the back that he had surgery on last spring? Is it that he's 31? Is he healthy, other than the back? So many questions and so few answers.

I can tell you he looks antsy and unsettled at the plate, but beyond that all I know is that he is a far cry from the brief glimpse of 2008, the two previous years with the Dodgers and the player that has been dynamic for nine seasons prior.

His batting average dipped to .239 after another 0-for against the Phillies on Thursday night. He's currently slugging .294 and his on base percentage is .302.

This is from a guy who's career numbers are .285/.350/.408. He's slugging more than 100 points less while his average and on-base are about 50 points less.

He also has just three stolen bases, although he is a guy that averages 35 per 162 games.

2-0, 30 IP, 5 ER, 1.50 ERA in the regular season.

2-0, 14 IP, 3 ER, 1.93 ERA in the post-season

The Dodgers organization is being very careful with the very talented left arm of Clayton Kershaw. They want to cap his innings, by moving him around and shifting the rotation.

I'm not sure I agree.

First of all, I'm like Nolan Ryan. I think that pitchers are much too babied and I think they should throw. If Kershaw stays healthy for 200 innings, then let him throw 200 innings.

He threw 169 total innings last year, and they want to keep him at the 180 mark, hence skipping his turn on Monday against the Diamondbacks.

He will pitch Thursday instead against the Phillies.

I really feel like this was the wrong move. First of all, he's only averaging 5 2/3 innings per start, meaning if he made 33 starts (which would happen if he weren't shifted at all) it would mean he would throw 185 innings. You could always skip him in September when the Dodgers have the division wrapped up.

Randy Wolf has been all the Dodgers could have asked for, and much, much more.

In fact, when the free agent signing period began, there were a lot of people (myself included) asking why the Dodgers didn't go after C.C. Sabathia, or bring back Derek Lowe, or sign Ben Sheets, etc...

Well, Randy Wolf has been better than them all.

If you look at the respective earned run averages of the five guys used primarily as starters, you won't see one of them with a number above four. Throw Hiroki Kuroda in there, and you have six with sub-4 ERAs.

Then, you look at the bullpen and you throw up in your mouth.

So the site is re-designed, and looking good. We have some new features such as the organizational depth chart, a poll, a blog roll and so forth.

We were having some problems allowing comments, but we're back just like the Dodgers are back in the win column after a night on the bad side of the ledger.

Anyone wonder how the Dodgers have the top pitching staff in Major League Baseball? In terms of earned run average, that is.

Somebody needs to give Andre Ethier a hug and let him know that Manny Ramirez will be back on July 3.

Because without him, Ethier seems like a mess.

He was batting .317 on the night of May 6, the day before Manny was suspended, and he was among the league leaders in RBI with 27. He also had hit six homers, which at that point would have put him on pace to hit 30 or 35.

Ethier has just six hits in his last 52 at-bats, hitting just .115 over the last two weeks, he has no homers and just two runs driven in. He has one hit in his last 12 at-bats (.083) and he just had a day off on May 17.

Of course, Ethier won't admit that Manny's absence is effecting him, probably telling you that he's just working some things out with his swing, that he's being pitched to like the big bat in the lineup instead, etc...

I'm not sure if the effect is purely mental, or if Ethier isn't qualified to be the big bat in a lineup, but personally I feel like it's a mental block for him.

I believe Ethier is a good hitter with a great swing and a very good work ethic. He's advanced to the point where he can handle being one of the run producers, but maybe not THE run producer.

So there was a little confusion about the interview time, but I got the call from Ethan Martin today.

Those of you who don't know, Martin was the Dodgers first-round draft pick in last year's draft. He was the 15th overall pick out of Stephens County High School in Georgia. He's currently pitching for the Great Lakes Loons in Single-A, and he is currently 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA with 45 K's in 35 IP.

Every outings been either very good or pretty solid. Yesterday he got touched up a little bit against Western Michigan, giving up four runs in five innings.

Here is what he had to say.

It might sound funny, considering he finally hit his first home run of the season and drove in four runs, but I think it could be time to consider trading James Loney.

The home run on Wednesday came in Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park (a notorious bandbox), and it barely cleared the short porch in right field.

It didn't even look like Loney thought he hit it out and Jayson Werth seemed surprised in the outfield. So it's not like he suddenly started raking the ball over the field.

After going 3-for-5 with four runs driven in, he's still batting just .277. The RBI total of 25 is good, putting him on pace to drive in over a hundred. He plays stellar defense, so it's not like I am suggesting trading him without thinking of how good he actually is or can be.

Where is the Dodgers $48 million dollar lemon? Has anyone seen him around? Where is he?

Once upon a time, prior to the 2007 season, Dodger fans were not only excited that Schmidt was leaving the Giants, but were even more excited because the power pitcher, one of the best in the National League, was coming to the Giants.

After one win in two years, his third and final season had a little bit of promise with the hopes that he might crack the rotation and actually contribute.

Wrong.

Well, Jason Schmidt pitched on Tuesday, for the Inland Empire 66ers, the Dodgers Single-A Advanced team.

The Dodger bullpen is still the biggest concern among Dodger fans, and for good reason. The starting rotation is still a small concern, but not nearly as much as the bullpen.

The offense, with Juan Pierre filling in for Manny Ramirez, has been good, but it won't last forever. Now is the time to get the pitching situation figured out before the offense slows down; which it will.

It will be a tale of two different pitchers in Sunday's series finale.

I'm just going to keep this post open and add to it.

9:05: Just got off work and I am listening to Charlie Steiner on my way home. I am glad to see the Dodgers respond with six first-inning runs and kind of exorcise a demon or two. Here comes a longer post on Manny.

For 68 starts in 2004 and 2005, I sat through the Jeff Weaver years with the Dodgers.

And for those two seasons, I watched him win 27 games, strike out 310 batters and have an ERA in low four's.

I also watched endless starts where he would be terrific for five or six innings, only to give it up in the later innings. I also watched him get staked to huge leads, only to melt down and give them away. With a boatload of talent, he was always frustrating to watch because of these reasons.

This statement might come off sounding ridiculous, considering the big named players that signed in 2009, but I am going to argue that, for at least the time being, the signing of Orlando Hudson is, so far, the best free agent signing of the season.

When you consider the dollar amount, the impact that he's had and the way he has fit in with his teammates, it's hard for me not to think that the Hudson signing was the most shrewd.

There are a lot of huge names that signed, so let's take a look.

I stated a couple of weeks ago that when the Dodgers are at home, I get the feeling they are going to win every time.

I have always had that feeling, since I was a kid, but I became more and more confident when Manny Ramirez showed up.

After a 7-3 win over San Diego on Sunday, the Dodgers have now set a club record with a 10-0 home start.

I've been thinking of Dodger players that I either get mad at or don't get mad at when they disappoint me.

I have broken them up into three categories: The free pass list, the temporary free pass list and the sh#t list.

In just a little while I am going to jump on BART, head into San Francisco and meet up with my friends for some food and beverages before the series finale with the Giants.

I'll have plenty more to say about this game when I get home later tonight, or early tomorrow, but for now here are some things I will be looking for against Tim Lincecum.

For the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's the late-inning relief.

I understand that the media loves the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry, because it's New York and Boston and in the past six years it has been pretty heated.

But I can't take it when somebody calls it the best rivalry in sports. It's not even the best rivalry in baseball, let alone sports. The best rivalry in baseball, and perhaps all of sports, is the Dodgers v. Giants.

Has anyone in the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry ever looked like Ralph Branca did, sitting on those steps after allowing one of the most famous home runs in baseball history?

I seriously, seriously doubt it.

There was a time, not long ago, that five runs in a game meant a Dodger win. Period.

Nowadays, that is not the case; and it's not going to be. We, as Dodger fans, must get used to it.

Let's take a look at the Dodgers top prospects and how they are doing early on.

I have a hunch the Dodgers aren't going to lose too many games at Dodger stadium this year.

I always get a good feeling when they play at home, and I feel even more confident for 2009.

The Dodgers didn't have much luck with their two most recent first-round draft picks staying healthy last season, but 2009 seems to one of promise for Chris Withrow and Ethan Martin.

After dealing with a variety of problems last season, 2007 first-round draft pick Chris Withrow seems to be healthy.

After pitching a total of 13 innings since being drafted, Withrow is pitching for Single-A Advanced Inland Empire and made a start against Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday and tossed five hitless innings, striking out six.

When can a pitcher's 11 strikeout performance get overshadowed? When someone else does something no Dodger ever has.

Why is Russell Martin still batting fifth in the Dodgers lineup?

We all know that Joe Torre can be stubborn to the point of it being a fault, evidenced by Blake DeWitt going 1-for-13 in the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Philly had two left-handers on the mound, while Hall of Famer Jeff Kent rode the bench.

I think that Torre is a great manager, and he is usually good at sticking with a guy, but there are times to make a change.

This is one of those times, but apparently Torre doesn't think so. Martin is still in the same spot for today's home opener against the Giants.

Martin is 4-for-24 this year, batting .167, and has done it all hitting in the No. 5 spot. He's driven in just five runs, and has left 22 men on base all by himself.

It may seem strange to talk about it hours after Randy Wolf delivered a pitching performance that was absolutely necessary, and, to put it bluntly, he was fantastic.

But, Dodger fans know that pitching is a bit of an issue and will continue to be unless something else is done to address the staff.

The ninth inning of Thursday's San Diego was a microcosm of the four-game series against the San Diego Padres.

Let's take a look inside the series:

Just a quick note to the baseball community out there. It was very saddening to hear the news of Nick Adenhart's death this morning.

Not just that he's a baseball player (it certainly adds to it) but it's the fact he's a 22-year old just starting out in his career. He was a young man with a lot of promise.

I have a good friend who is an Angels fan, and he was more shook up than he thought he would be. I completely understand. I would be the same way if it was one of my guys. My heart goes out to the Angels organization and community, and to Adenhart's friends and family.

It was a textbook win for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chad Billingsley was sharp over six innings (very, very sharp for four of them) and the big rally was centered around Manny Ramirez as the Dodgers won a very tidy 5-2 game on Wednesday night.

Simply stated, Chad Billingsley needs to be sharp in a couple of hours at Petco Park.

The Dodgers cannot afford to lose two games in a row to a team that will finish among the worst in the Major Leagues, and Billingsley needs to be the catalyst on Wednesday night.

Sure, this team has a talented offense and it would be fair to ask the guys in the lineup to kick it up a notch, but a little more needs to be expected out of the starting pitching.

For the first two games, the starting pitching has been mediocre, and you could maybe even consider it poor when you consider they received just 11 innings combined out of Hiroki Kuroda and Randy Wolf.

Sure, Kuroda pitched well enough for five innings, but hit a wall and put Joe Torre in a situation where he had to lean on the bullpen and bail him out.

Wolf really wasn't sharp at all, and gave up four runs in the 5 1/3 innings he lasted on Tuesday night.

On Opening Day of the 2009 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers looked more like the team from 2008; by scoring just enough runs to win and relying on quality pitching to seal the deal.

The Braves and Phillies play tonight, and the official Opening Day is tomorrow, which means the Dodgers are what they are at this point.

Don't expect any more major moves for the time being, so with the roster pretty set, let's take a look at the Dodgers for the 2009 season.

It's April 1, and at this point the Dodgers pitching staff is what it is.

Is everybody comfortable with that? Does anyone have any concerns?

My answers: No I'm not comfortable, and yes, I have concerns. I even have concerns about our hard-throwing closer to our left who has seemed invincible over the past two seasons during the eighth inning of ball game's.

Broxton had a bit of a rough time in the World Baseball Classic and has been one of many Dodgers still looking to get untracked in the last few days of Spring Training.

It's safe to say that very few Dodger pitchers have found their groove thus far.

Something the Dodgers haven't had since Adrian Beltre in 2004, and something they haven't had on a consistence basis since Mike Piazza's run of dominance from 1993 to 1997 is a legit Most Valuable Player candidate.

Piazza hit no lower than .318 in that stretch and batted as high as .362 in '97. He only hit less than 30 homers in the strike-shortened 1994 season.

In 2004, Beltre hit 48 home runs and batting .334, finishing second to Barry Bonds in the MVP race, but Beltre's season was a flash in the pan.

Now Dodger fans have another serious candidate.

This website's very good friend, known as Lasorda for President, was fortunate enough to be in Arizona for Spring Training recently, paying a visit to Camelback Ranch and getting a firsthand look at the 2009 version of the Dodgers.

He has some very good information, some fantastic insight and some fun facts. It's really cool to get a fans perspective, so check out what he had to say.

When everybody in the competition is horrible, what do you do?

You open up the competition to more people.

My 21st birthday wasn't nearly as sweet as Clayton Kershaw's.

Unlike the Dodgers prize left-hander, I found myself waking up wishing I had never celebrated. This likely won't be the case for Mr. Kershaw.

If Dodger fans would have been told at the beginning of last May that the team would open up the 2009 season with Rafael Furcal returning to play shortstop and that Orlando Hudson would be joining him at second base, they would have been downright giddy.

They might not have even believed it.

Alas, it is true, but when this finally became a reality, it didn't call for the same excitement it would have a little less than a year ago.

Just 10 months ago, Furcal was batting .366, playing pepper with the gaps and getting on base all over the place.

Around that same time, Hudson was batting around .300 for the Diamondbacks and playing his usual gold glove defense.

One is official, one is not. But for all intents and purposes, two more potential fifth starters bowed out of the Los Angeles competition.

A day after Eric Milton and Claudio Vargas were horrendous, Jason Schmidt can be crossed off the list and you can probably take Jeff Weaver off of it as well.

Time to take a look at things that have happened in the couple of days that I have left you guys hanging.

I'll just touch base on them and let you guys chime in.

Two pieces of news out of Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training camp today; one interesting and the other not so good.

They both have to do with two of the most flamboyant and outspoken players of our generation; Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez.

I just got done speaking with Dylan Hernandez, who covers the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Times.

We talked mostly about pitching. Here is what he had to say.

The Fifth Starter Report is back for a second installment, and it's much less optimistic than the first one.

Things aren't looking good for the Los Angeles Dodgers possibilities for that final spot in the rotation.

Let's take a look.

I'm not even going to argue about it. The guy went to Harvard, I went to San Francisco State.

However, with my knowledge of baseball and my experience of covering it at all levels, I'm not exactly chopped liver.

So far, the Dodgers pitching staff is looking good; very good.

Immediately after Hiroki Kuroda pitched three scoreless frames, Randy Wolf and Chad Billingsley followed suit.

For all intents and purposes, Hiroki Kuroda was a rookie last year. Sure the 34-year old pitched 11 years in the Japanese Professional League, but anyone in the Major Leagues will tell you there is no comparison.

And therefore, Kuroda had his growing pains last year, and still came out of it with a 9-10 record and a very good 3.73 ERA. He was also very sharp in the playoffs.

Now, a lot is expected of the Dodgers $35.3 million dollar man.

The quicker this deal gets done the better. It would be preferable if it could get done before the regular season starts.

That way you can break camp with the 25 guys you want, giving Xavier Paul (or someone else) that final bench spot. You also keep a disgruntled player out of the Los Angles locker room.

Here is a look at some teams that could be mentioned suitors or lack a leadoff hitter.

It didn't take very long for Juan Pierre to voice his displeasure.

Anybody could have seen this coming, considering Pierre had already alluded to being traded even before Manny had returned, but it took him just 24 hours after the signing to say he wants out immediately.

Now the hard part is finding him a home.

The dance is over.

Ongoing negotiations that started in November have finally come to fruition; Los Angeles has Manny Ramirez back.

The Dodgers were able to get their man, and get him at their price. Eventually the front office won out with everything, including deferred money with no interest.

Now we can forget all that. It's time to focus on what Ramirez brings to the offense and we already know that it's quite a lot.

How about a guy that hit 17 home runs and batted .396 in 53 games with the Dodgers last year?

I'll take it.

A full season of Manny should equal an average over .300, more than 30 home runs and well over 100 RBI.

So we don't have a deal tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe...

How many times have we heard that? I don't know.

It was a tease. That's the second time in a week that's been done to us.

The headline is now removed from ESPN.com. MLBTR is keeping us updated with up to the minute information.

This report just came through, saying the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez have agreed to terms. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, and wait until it's confirmed to throw a party.

I just got done writing a long piece about how they are jeopardizing the prospect of him returning, but now that goes by the wayside if this is true.

More to follow. Stay tuned.

It's currently the bottom of the fifth inning during Tuesday's Spring Training game with the San Diego Padres, but I had to mention something about Chad Billingsley.

I think concerns over his leg and his conditioning should now be forgotten. He has pitched twice, looking good both times. He looked particularly good today, striking out three in two scoreless innings. He allowed no hits and walked one batter.

We have the ace of our staff, and he's healthy.

Also, Mitch Jones hit another home run. Guy's got big time power.

Nothing new to report on the Manny Ramirez front and the longer this goes on, the worse off it gets. I'll have a longer article about this situation tonight. I am also hoping to get in touch with Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times soon for a Q&A.

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine, a Giants fan (don't ask me why I am still friends with him) and he was trying to tell me the Dodgers pitching staff was bad and had no ace.

I mentioned Chad Billingsley. The first thing he mentions is how he is hurt. Apparently he hasn't been keeping up with anything.

Not only is Billingsley healthy, but I think he is a lot farther along than anybody expected. He is right on track with his throwing program, and he made a start in Friday's Spring Training Game against Seattle.

He gave up a run and three hits in two innings, but looked sharp for this time of year.

Here are some other things that are going on.

I had a bad feeling this would happen. I am sure Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras are still frustrated and now Frank McCourt sounds very frustrated.

The word is that Manny Ramirez' decision is coming tomorrow.

What do you guys think?

It's no secret that the Dodgers farm system is nowhere near where it was a few years ago, but there is a very good reason for this.

I'm here to tell you not to panic about not seeing many names high up on everybody's list of top 100 prospects.

The Dodgers still have some very talented players throughout the Minors, and though there aren't as many that are expected to be impact players, not many organizations would have a lot left if they had called up all the players Los Angeles has in the last few seasons.

By signing Orlando Hudson, the Dodgers lost the No. 17 pick in this June's First Year Player Draft.

I say so what.

The Dodgers play in Los Angeles, so being so close to Hollywood it's perfectly natural for them to get a facelift, right?

I'm not saying they need to get nipped and tucked as much as Mickey Rourke, but a couple of procedures is necessary.

In lieu of Botox and liposuction, the Dodgers just need to sign a couple of players. They might be only two guys, but man what a difference they would make.

One major operation and another medium one is still plastic surgery.

Check out these potential lineups:

This year's Los Angeles Dodgers team is already an interesting one. I can't remember a team with more questions marks, yet with so much potential in my 23 years of following the team.

There are questions about the pitching staff, but there is also so much optimism about that very staff. There are questions about the lineup but there are so many possibilities with the lineup.

There are many questions to be answered, and I found a lot of interesting facts in Los Angeles Times' Dodgers beat writer Dylan Hernandez' most recent post, which can be found here. There is a lot of reason for hope when it comes to the pitching staff.

As soon as Randy Wolf passes a physical, he'll once again be a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers; and that is a good thing.

By no means is Wolf going to be a savior, and the Dodgers hardly need that, but he is a very important addition to a pitching staff with a lot of question marks.

If you're wondering which Dodger is going to have a breakout season, look no further than Matt Kemp.

Kemp goes into Spring Training with absolutely no doubt about being the everyday center fielder and he is also coming off a year that saw him hit .290 with 18 homers and 35 steals.

The 24-year old also drove in 76 runs and scored 93 times.

There is no questioning his talent and after seeing him scratch the surface during the 2008 season, 2009 could be a big year.

He could easily be a 25 home run, 100 RBI and 40 steals guy, and the only concern is his awareness and decision making.

I'm not going to mention his name in this post, but it's time to start seriously thinking about him not being with the team in 2009.

With things turning ugly between the agent and the owner, and the owner and the player, and the player and the general manager, and the general manager and the agent, it's time to really consider some other free agent options.

There has been a lot of talk about the Dodgers taking the money they were allocating to one specific person and spending it on three or four different players.

Gotta start with Manny Ramirez and the new deal offered by Ned Colletti and the Dodgers.

And the saga continues.

Nearly every day, there is an update that there is no update on the Manny Ramirez situation. From time to time we'll hear about perhaps the Giants would jump in at the right price and the Mets would like to have him and yada yada.

It's about time to for the Dodgers to sign the guy, get him into Spring Training on time and with a positive mindset. The last thing the Dodgers need is a disgruntled Ramirez, who is already feeling like he's not wanted.

I think Teddy KGB said it best in Rounders, in the scene where Mike McDermott mops the floor with him straight up, and in leiu of beating him to death, he goes, "Pay him. Pay that man his money."

With the announcement that James McDonald will start the year in the bullpen, and with it being well known the Dodgers are seeking another pitcher for the starting rotation, the list of candidates to fill that spot is growing smaller.

Another name can be crossed off the list as well, with the Arizona Diamondbacks signing Jon Garland to fill out their rotation.

I recently had the chance to speak with Dylan Hernandez, who is the Dodgers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times. We covered a variety of topics, but two things were very clear from the conversation: The Dodgers offense could really use Manny Ramirez and the pitching staff has some question marks.

Take a look at what he had to say.

I would be lying to say if I wasn't like most obsessive Dodger fan. I also wake up in the morning, check all the websites, turn on the radio and turn on ESPN in hopes of seeing that the Dodgers have signed Manny Ramirez, or another outfielder.

I am also waiting, on a daily basis, to see if the team has signed a starting pitcher because I'm not ready to put my faith in Eric Stults, Jason Schmidt and James McDonald. Still, even though I want them to sign certain players and I am anxious for it to happen, I am being patient.

Between Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, and Greg Maddux the Dodgers lost 22 wins and 346 innings pitched, not to mention the bullpen losses of Chan Ho Park, Joe Beimel and Takashi Saito.

It's safe to say the Dodgers are in the market for pitching, and a starting pitcher should be a top priority (after Manny Ramirez, of course).

With the status of Jason Schmidt very uncertain, he cannot be relied on to make 30 starts. And, as good as James McDonald might be someday, he is certainly not going to be the answer in 2009. It would be a big risk to go into the season with the two of them anchoring the back end of a rotation with some uncertainty at the top. Chad Billingsley broke his leg in the off-season and Clayton Kershaw will only be 21 when the season starts.

Currently, the Dodgers are targeting a handful of starters, including Randy Wolf, Jon Garland and Braden Looper.

In my opinion, they are forgetting someone. A very obvious someone. Why not go after Ben Sheets? 

Based on the CHONE projections of fangraphs this is what the Dodgers record will be according to runs scored and runs allowed. If they manage to keep Manny Ramirez, they will be about 94-68. With Juan Pierre, 85-77, and if they sign Adam Dunn, 91-71. I figured Dunn isn't likely, but is probably the likeliest of the unlikely players.

With the bullpen and the bench still being sorted out, I used similar stats from the 2008 season, figuring the bench projection might be down a little and the bullpen might give up a few more.

Fortunately for Dodger fans, they will never have to see this pathetic excuse for a swing again. A year ago Dodger fans were cautiously optimistic that Jones would re-capture the magic he had for the better part of 12 seasons with the Atlanta Braves. 13 months ago, a two-year, 36.2 million dollar contract looked worth the risk.

I am sure I am expressing the opinion of most Dodger fans when I say that Manny Ramirez has to be brought back.

Are you feeeling Dodger Blue?

This could mean a couple of things. You could be a Dodger fan that feels down on your luck because the team hasn't won a World Series since 1988, hasn't been since that same year and has had one big contract after another blow up in their face.

It could also mean that you are absolutely into the Dodgers, or feeeling them. You might be such a big Dodger fan that very few things (if anything) are as important.

For me, I am both. That is why I have decided to start this website and dedictate it to everything Dodgers. This will be a place diehards can come for information and different perspectives.

Just to tell you a little about myself, I am a Dodger fan living in California's Bay Area. I live just across the bridge from San Francisco (in Berkeley) and it's tough being surrounded by so many Giants fans. Somehow over the years I have not committed suicide or murdered anyone, which I consider a miracle given the circumstances.

I am a sports writer for an East Bay Newspaper group and I also spent some time covering the A's for mlb.com, so I hope Dodger fans will trust that I have the experience and the knowledge to keep them informed and entertained.

So, like Michael Scott said: "Let's get it started. Black Eyed Crows."