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My Team, Right or Wrong June 29, 2009, 8:45 p.m. My Dodger, right or wrong..My Manny, my homers, my victories, and my entertainment, because that's what matters, right or wrong. It's sacrilege, I know, but I'm with Bill Plaschke, mostly. Fans in Albuquerque and Riverside did go gaga over their ball player, they hold him accountable for absolutely nothing, and they did everything but worship at the hem of his garment. And even that I'm not so sure about. To be fair, a columnist with a point to make isn't exactly the most forthcoming with the contrary evidence either. The gene pool that is the crowd at a minor league game or two does not all of Dodger fandom make. Even a couple of mid-July nights at the Ravine will represent less than a scientific showing. Of course those buying tickets are going to drool for their Manny. It's the people who aren't coughing up their hard-earned blue who ought to be sampled. That would require more homework on the part of the writer, but those fans' opinions count too. Those boos are part of the equation too. One cheer or boo per customer, or non-customer, as the case may be. Why don't we try the experiment again, and see if there are some righteous Dodger fans among us. I'm guessing there are. But Plaschke's point is well-taken. In a week when we lost a rock star, we seemed to have gained another. The way in which Manny was treated both by the fans, and to a lesser degree by his employers, is comparable to what we've seen with Michael Jackson. Far from a perfect comparison, obviously, but a comparison nonetheless. And hero worship to this degree, with nothing else mattering except the entertainment the hero brings to the fan, cannot be healthy. There's a selfishness to it. All that matters is us. Our pleasures, however guilty. We need our favorites, we need that great concert, or that long-anticipated World Series. Me, me, me. We, we, we. Within the overly-friendly confines of Dodger Stadium, the double standard stares us square in the face. As has been written elsewhere, nowhere has the vitriol for a cheater been more apparent than in Los Angeles for Barry Bonds. And from club management, an appropriately terse two-sentence comment from Ned Colletti about his drunk-driving and arrested relief pitcher, Ronald Belisario: "Whenever a member of your organization is said to be in violation of the law, it is disappointing. We will provide any help we can." For Manny, on the other hand, it's all about the help – the limos, the personal security, and the media relations roadblocks – the Dodgers can provide, with very little about the disappointment. That's disappointing. I've got no surefire cure for the Manny mess we're in right now, but is a little less slugger-as-the-victim and a even a thimble full of contrition too much to ask? I don't think so. Ali McGraw's character in Love Story had it about as wrong as can be. Actually, love doesn't mean never having to say you're sorry, folks. Saying you're sorry helps, especially when you mean it. Can't Manny get up there for five minutes and, at the very least, just say he's sorry? C'mon man, can't you do that much? Talkback: Your comments are always encouraged… Media Savvy: Here's the best of the early articles I've seen, detailing a writer's All-Star Game picks, from Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. And a nice piece about the successes and failures of last winter's free agent class, by Jon Heyman, at SI.com. And finally, another in a series of fine entries about steroids in baseball, by Jeff Pearlman, also from SI.com… Trading for an Ace: Forget what you're hearing about the Indians possibly hanging onto Cliff Lee and has attractive contract. The Cleveland left-hander will absolutely be traded, and the Dodgers absolutely are a player for the player. But Lee isn't the only guy out there, and the Dodgers aren't required to get him. I'm a big Roy Oswalt guy, and I think he'll be easier to acquire. And just because the Dodgers dealt prospects rather than take on big contracts last year doesn't mean they will this time around. If anything, they might be more sensitive to the criticism if they choose that route again in 2009. Oswalt's making $14 million this year, is due $15 million next, and $16 million in 2011. He's got a $2 million buy-out and a club option for 2012 at another 16, plus a full no-trade clause. That's a bleepload of money, but it's less than the Dodgers would have had to swallow for Jake Peavy, it's less than they would have paid for CC Sabathia, and it'll take far less in prospects than would a Lee deal to make it happen. And Oswalt's the best of the lot when it comes to big games. By plenty. He's started seven postseason games, appeared in a World Series, and is 4-0, with a 3.66 lifetime in fall ball. Yes, his ERAs have gone up in recent years, but he's pitching in a god-awful home park, and still very much in his prime. Seven, eight, nine innings in starts down the stretch, as a matter of course. Oswalt would go straight to the top of the rotation and be every bit the ace the Dodgers seek… Russell Martin Day-Off-Oh-Meter: The "day game after a night game" phrase means little to Joe Torre, so you shouldn't have expected the "90 degree day game after a night game with the surging Rockies coming to town Monday" to either. So no surprise that Martin caught Sunday's series finale with Seattle. Entering tonight (June 29), Russell Martin is in a flat-footed tie with St. Louis backstop Yadier Molina for the major league lead in innings caught, with 569. Is this really a category worth taking the trophy home for? As I've said before, but worth mentioning again, Torre's career high games behind the plate? 114, twice, in 1966 and 1967... Statutory Dreams: No joke. I had a dream that the Dodgers built a sculpture garden at the stadium, featuring statues of its former stars, like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Fernando Valenzuela. The dream turned to nightmare with the discovery of monuments dedicated to Delino Deshields, Milton Bradley and J.D. Drew. Bill Sukakis was represented too, don't ask me why. The dream got weird(er) from there, with the statues coming to life to play catch with each other (and no, Drew's sculpture did not pull a hamstring). Duke Sims was catching Don Drysdale. So help me, I couldn't make this up. I don't know if this was my unconscious telling me something or what, but I promise to redouble my efforts. The Koufax in bronze campaign continues. Please Vote “Yes on 32.” And tell a friend… Remember, glove conquers all….
PREVIOUSLY OFF BASE June 22, 2009, 6:52 p.m. One of the witches, anyway. Donald Fehr is out as queso grande of the Major League Baseball Players Association. And a wonderful thing it is. We'll leave the obligatory "Fehr strikes out" line to someone (nay, everyone) else. One down, and one to go. This is monumental, absolutely huge news. Major. While it would've been nice to see the man tarred, feathered and run out of town on a rail, in the long run it doesn't matter that Fehr is leaving of his own volition. As long as he's going. Be-bye, pal. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Come to think of it, do; do let the door hit you on the way out. Look, it's not that Donald Fehr is an evil guy or anything, and if you're truly objective, you might be able to put your finger on some positive things he did during his 25 years on the job, but trim down the bio to the bare minimum of characters required to tell the tale, and Fehr's story inevitably comes down to four words, and only four words: "steroids" and "cancelled World Series." Parse those, and since "steroids" can be used as a medical term, with neither a positive nor negative connotation, you're left with "cancelled World Series," one of the ugliest phrases known to sports-man. Or sports-woman. Or sports. It was 1994, to be precise, and lest we forget. Yes, Bud Selig's bio will come down to the same four words, and the commissioner is more responsible for everything strike-related than is Fehr, but this is Donald's job performance review we're writing now. I've long dreamt of the two men walking the plank together, and how fitting that would be, but there'll be plenty of ocean left for Selig later. In fact, factoring global warming into the equation, there will be more ocean for Selig later. An added bonus. Anyway, if you love baseball, you ought to be stoked today. Don Fehr is back, back, back, back, almost gone. It's the beginning of the end to a sad bad chapter in the sport's history. And only good can come of it. I'm not going to pretend to know a thing about Fehr's prospective successor, Michael Weiner, but only good can come of it. Drink responsibly, but go right ahead and celebrate… Talkback: Your comments are always encouraged… Freeway Series: First of all, thank you Jon Miller, of ESPN, for referring to this past weekend's Dodgers-Angels series as the "battle of Southern California." Which it was. As opposed to "the battle of Los Angeles," which it wasn't and has never been. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's quite a run of luck we're having here. First the Lakers win a championship, and as if on cue, June Gloom simply disappears before its due. Then, the Dodgers beat the Anaheimers two of three to split the season series, and do so impressively. Then Fehr splits, and all is right with the world. What next, Roy Halliday for Tony Abreu? OK, that's a bit much, but I'm filled with optimism as the week begins. The boys in blue really did look good over the weekend, doing everything we've come to expect from them. And things we couldn't have expected from them, like losing with their ace Chad Billingsley on Friday, and responding with Jeff Weaver beating the superior Jered Weaver on Saturday. Continued fine bullpen and glove work, a stirring performance by Clayton Kershaw, and the late-to-arrive offensive spark from Russell Martin. There's no question in my mind that the Dodgers will go to Chicago and bring back their ninth consecutive series win, and wrap up the mathematical first half of the season safely 20-plus games over .500 next week in San Diego. With some guy named Manny in attendance. We'll go over our team and league suggestions for Cy Young, MVP, etc at that time, so stay tuned for that… BTW: A little known fact, as told to me by my friend Buzzie Bavasi, in 2005. According to Buzzie, the Angels paid the Dodgers six figures for the use of the words "Los Angeles" in their name, upon expansion in 1961. There was no discussion of the club keeping it while operating in another city and county, nor the use of a prepositional phrase like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but who could have possibly foreseen that? Milken This: I haven't seen Michael Milken's name associated with MLB's Home Run Challenge yet this time around, and it's not my intention to minimize his contributions to the prostate cancer awareness community, but I think baseball could do better without Milken as spokesman. Yes, Milken paid his penance, but it just seems like he's trying too hard to make good. And it turns out that he had an ulterior if not all along, then certainly in the back of his mind. Read this article by Los Angeles Times business writers Stuart Pfeifer and Tom Petruno for specifics on Milken's presidential pardon request, which was appropriately turned down by President George Bush, and as a refresher about the junk bonds and racketeering crimes of a generation ago. It's a fitting read for the news of 2009… Question of the Day: Two questions, actually. Are the Colorado Rockies for real and should the National League worry? Short answer, no and no. The Rocks have been a streaky team since their 1993 inception, and in literally every case except one, a long stretch of wins has led to nothing of any great distinction. That's not to say that a rerun of Colorado's 2007 drive to the World Series is impossible. It's possible in theory, just not in actuality. Not with this particular club. Forget about the Rockies. Don't fret one bit, NL fans… Media Savvy: Neat piece by about the prospect of Joe Mauer hitting .400, by Andy Behrens of YahooSports. From Rotoworld. "According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Shawn Estes has retired. Estes actually pitched well in Triple-A, with a 3.07 ERA in hitter-friendly Alberqueque [sic]. Estes should be remembered for winning 19 games in a season, one of four seasons he had double figures in victories. Instead, he'll probably go down as the guy who tried and failed to drill Roger Clemens. If your fantasy team was depending on Shawn Estes, something went horribly wrong for you on draft day." Statue for Sandy: The Koufax in bronze campaign continues. Please Vote “Yes on 32.” And tell a friend… Remember, glove conquers all….
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