October 9, 2005

“The [bleeping] Dodgers,” said Eric Gagne. That’s what he said, he said that. Way to go, eh.

“We’re the [bleeping] Dodgers. We should be like the Yankees. The Yankees don’t rebuild. They go out and get what they need to win.”

“I don’t want to be here if we’re just going to play kids and rebuild. Yeah, I put my name on a contract, and I respect that. But the Dodgers’ logo was on top of that contract - not the Milwaukee Brewers or the Las Vegas 51s.”

"You need to add a 40 home-run guy and a guy who hits .310; that's two hitters," Gagne said. "You need to re-sign Jeff Weaver. The innings he gives us are priceless.”

Bleeping brilliant, eh. Gagne's got a job here any time he wants one. We just can't pay him ten mil. We can pay him nine mil.

McCourt retorts that spending big isn’t “a magic elixir to win” and that “it’s more complicated than that.” Apparently.

Can we get a clue, please? Just spend on players who actually play and we'll leave you alone.

It should mean something to someone other than Gagne that Weaver has won five more Dodger games in the last two years than Brad Penny and Odalis Perez combined, and that he’s close enough in innings pitched.

Weaver’s worth every penny of the extra mil a year Perez gets. Send Odalis back to Atlanta. They like guys who shine in the regular season. They’ll absolutely take him. J.D. Drew too.

Twenty Questions: If you thought the plopping of questions into ordinary conversation for no apparent reason would end with Jim Tracy’s firing, think again.

“Is it fixable? Could I get the club back to where it was at the end of 2004 before the end of 2006?” Sure, that’s Tracy’s last one.

Terry Collins doesn’t even have the job yet, and he’s already up to speed: “I work in a whole different department than the major league team, but are we on the same page?

Even the writers are doing it. Paul White of USA Today:

“What was more unfair about the product Dodgers manager Jim Tracy was given to work with? The lack of talent in that clubhouse by season's end or the lack of leadership?

Tom Hoffarth in the Daily News: “ So, if we've got it straight, and if the McCourts can still say it with a straight face: This is Dodger baseball?”

Bob Keisser in the Daily News: “Didn't Tracy ask for an extension?"

What’s it gonna take to stop this trend?

Quote of the Week: From Texas Rangers’ owner Tom Hicks on making Jon Daniels the youngest general manager in baseball history: “He's got a truly brilliant mind, he's a walking baseball encyclopedia. I think his youth is an asset to us. I did my first leveraged buyout when I was about that age.” Rangers’ fans familiar with the Dodgers situation will be comforted, I’m sure...

Politics as Usual: With Jim Leyland reuniting with Dave Dombrowski in Detroit, Dave Littlefield choosing old buddy Tracy over old buddy Ken Macha, and DePodesta deciding between Oakland pals Macha, Art Howe and Ron Washington, it looks like there is cronyism in baseball.

Here’s an idea for DePodesta. Forget all Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland A’s candidates and hire a Dodger. One of these guys: Dusty Baker, Kirk Gibson, Mickey Hatcher, Orel Hershiser or Kevin Kennedy…

BTW: Hershiser was crunching numbers on a laptop when DePodesta was vice president of the Pac Man Club in junior high…

Buffalo Chips: Torey Lovullo is in the Hall of Fame. The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame, that is. Other prominent members include Joe McCarthy, Sal Maglie and Warren Spahn. Oh, and O.J. Simpson…

I’ll say one thing in defense of Paul DePodesta. This business about the next Dodgers skipper being nothing but a puppet of the general manager? It isn’t so. Really it isn’t. Let’s stop the puppet talk. The new manager won’t be a puppet…he’ll be a marionette…

Joe Torre is great, but pitching Mariano Rivera for two innings every single night is a blemish on the manager’s record. It’s his version of Jim Tracy and the bunt; it just works more often…

2005 is the first time Bobby Cox has had a good excuse for a one and done, what with the slew of rookies and all. But forgive me if take a little solace (OK, glee) in seeing him bow out early yet again. If this is Cox's karma, it’s a very small price to pay for what he’s done…

Lindsay Lohan needs a professional driver. If she insists on hanging out in Beverly Hills, she oughta get a fleet of Mini Coopers and put a team of Jacopo’s pizza delivery drivers behind the wheel. There’s not a pizza man alive who wouldn’t leave that paparazzi in the dust. And it’ll be a whole lot safer…

Get Smart Trivia Answer: Yup, most of you got it. The chief’s name was Thaddeus, and his agent identification was in fact Q.

Get Smart, Last Add: Arguably 99’s best line, after Agent 43 is gunned down by the evil hand of Kaos: “You’re worth two 43s, 86.”

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Statue for Sandy : The Koufax in bronze campaign continues, so please scroll down to the photo below and vote yes on 32…

Remember, glove conquers all….