Trade coverage
There was obviously a ton of coverage of yesterday’s trades, both locally and nationally. I think Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times hit the nail on the head with his analysis of the trade while Kevin Modesti of the Daily News makes a very intriguing claim: that Maddux will be the greatest player that has ever worn a Dodger uniform. I’d love to hear fans debate that one, as a case can be made in agreement or for several other players.
Steve Bisheff of the Orange County Register thinks that Ned did the right thing. FoxSports.com’s Dayn Perry breaks down all the trades, giving the Dodgers seemingly good marks for their moves. USA Today’s Mel Antonen thinks the Dodgers got better while Jon Weisman has his own strong analysis on DodgerThoughts, as always. (Who am I kidding? I’m sure you’ve read his long before you’ll read this).
There was tons of coverage coming out of Chicago and Tampa Bay, too. I could probably spend several hours reading all the stories but at the end of the day, here’s the only thing I know: there’s not a person out there who knows how these will turn out on the field for us or the opposing teams — not Ned, Kim, Roy, Bill LaJoie, you, me or any of the baseball gods. That’s probably the most fun part about trades in baseball or any sport, for that matter. We can debate them until we’re Dodger blue in the face, but we probably won’t know how these really turned out for a couple of years. Personally, I’m glad we made the moves we did, as I think we improved ourselves in the short-term while not hurting ourselves too much in the long-run.
I’m actually not on this road trip, so lineups may be a little later than usual and sometimes I won’t be able to post them at all, but please be patient.
It’s August, and that’s meant good thing for the Dodgers over the past few years. Since 2002, Los Angeles is 66-46 in August, the third-best mark in the National League behind the Cardinals and Braves. Let’s hope that stays the same…
And for anyone who doesn’t think the Dodgers can come back from a five-game deficit with two months to go, check out the 1983 club that erased a 6.5-game deficit in the same amount of time with a 20-10 month of August. In fact, four guys who were on that team will be at Great American Ball Park tonight – Rick Monday, Jerry Reuss, Rick Honeycutt and Fernando Valenzuela. (Honeycutt actually joined the team on Aug. 19 of that season).
I know many people will argue that they didn’t have multiple teams to surpass in the standings but remember, there wasn’t a wild card back then, either.
Inside the Dodgers 
Hey Josh, quick question. We picked up 2 players and traded one on the 25 man roster. Any idea what the move will be to make room for both.
I agree with you that only time will tell, here’s for hoping for the best.
each year at the trading deadline the deals get less and less. The buyers are looking for impact players and the sellers are looking for the BEST PROSPECT in the system. I hope Maddux brings us some good innings, knowledge, and a professional winning demeanor in the clubhouse. Let’s face it, to get a Soriano would have cost us Ethier, Martin, Kemp or some combination. Maddux, and Lugo, plus a healthy Kent, and a JD Drew doing what is expected can get the D’s back in the hunt.
I’m giving Ned the benefit of the doubt on these trades until after this season plays out (as much as I feel that we are spinning our wheels on many of the transactions). I’m looking forward to seeing the new look to the team, and hoping for a strong finish the the season.
Greg Maddux may be the greatest player to have ever worn a Dodger uniform. His stats might suggest that. Not that it is even important who is the greatest, but I look more closely at who were the greatest full time Dodgers wearing that uniform. Greg’s short time left won’t help qualify him for that title. I personally believe Jackie Robinson is the greatest player and man to ever have worn the uniform. He transformed the game at great personal cost. He played brilliantly carrying the weight of all black players then and now on his back.He did what no man had ever done before or since. Greg can only add to his personal stats,which are impressive, but he did not revolutionize the game as Jackie did. There are others who certainly qualify as the greatest Dodgers – Campy, Duke, Sandy, etc. They were Dodgers.
Jackie or Koufax. Not maddux.
OK, he was only briefly a coach in 1938, but hopefully Kevin phrased his words correctly to specify anyone who actually wore a Dodger jersey while an active player:
http://i5.ebayimg.com/04/i/04/88/f5/c4_1_b.JPG
And for the record, since I was part of the panel that decided The Sporting News’ 100 Greatest Players book, I’m throwing out my top 5:
1. Frank Robinson
2. Sandy Koufax
3. Greg Maddux
4. Jackie Robinson
5. Roy Campanella
Admittedly there’s not much criteria to work with here, though.
Mark
http://mlblogs.mlblogs.com
And re previous commenters noting Jackie’s contributions to society, my understanding is that’s not relevant to the conversation. He’d be in my top five for favorite humans, but there is no specificity beyond “great player” listed here.
To me the greatest player would be the one who simply put did the hardest thing. I wish Greg had been a Dodger all his career – a wonderful pitcher and great ambassador for baseball. However, he pitched in expansion days all his carer with many weaker teams to beat, mostly on a very strong team. Everyone loved him. That is not to diminish his contribution. Jackie did the hardest thing there was to do. Played at a high level with so much hatred around him. There does not have to be any specificity beyond “great player”. Jackie was a great player and did the hardest thing that any player has ever done. Excelled at the game and contibuted to the good of the game while so many fans and players demonstated their hatred towards him. If that’s not greatness, nothing in the game is.
Maddux, though, will be far from being the greatest Dodger ever.
Still, you have to separate the hallowed legend and the obvious impact on society. Jackie was a great player and a great man. But did he have one of the three best overall careers of any player who at one point or another (as the writer apparently is stipulating) wore a Dodger uniform? No. The argument against Maddux due to playing “mostly on a very strong team” (the Dodgers were by all means strong) falls short, because you have to remember the insanely acute control that Maddux showed during the 1990s — rarely walking a batter. He always put himself into position to win. Either way, no Hall of Famer who wore a Dodger uniform — even if it was for one inning — was better than Frank Robinson.
Personally, I think the Plaschke analysis of the trade was poor. He has never shown any ability to evaluate player talent. But he is pretty good at determining who has “heart and soul” and who is “scrappy”.
vr, Xei
Greg is a credit to the game but is not the greatest to wear a Dodger uniform. I have tried to make my point about Jackie. Greatness is just not statistical. It is that but also nature of individual, impact on team, impact on game. 300 victories is tremendous but quite a few have done it. Only one has done what Jackie did and no one will ever do that again. I do not think we can separate the individual and the game. Each influences the other. Jackie influenced the game like none other.
I agree with what you say euhlman but i dont agree about jackie i think koufax is the greatest dodger. sure a short career but lived it to the fullest i do agree robinson was probaly right next to koufax,but koufax is the best
I think this debate is really easy. The greatest Dodgers is the guy, baseball has the most respect for. In every major league stadium, we only have to look at the number retired by all of Baseball to find the greatest Dodgers of all time. Number 42: Jackie Robinson.
He is the most respected Dodger of all time by all of Baseball.
In addition, he grew up in the Los Angeles area. This makes him even more important in New York/Los Angeles Dodger History. He is a Dodger through and through.
I forgot one important point.
He decided it was more important to retire a Dodgers than to accept a trade to the Giants.
What more could you ask of a true Dodger legend!
Koufax and Jackie Robinson….best Dodgers of all time.
Excellent point khgates. No one has been honored as Jackie has. In the forum of baseball public opinion he is the man.Case closed. Don’t know why I didn’t think of the fact his number has been retired by all of baseball. Having said that, I have tremendous respect for Sandy Koufax. I have watched baseball since 1952 and if I could pick one pitcher in his prime for one deciding game it would be Sandy. But the greatest player to wear a Dodger uniform – Jackie Roosevelt Robinson.
One thing should be clear, Modesti said greatest to wear an L.A. uniform.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4119422
But Koufax is still the greatest pitcher of all time. So there goes his argument.
Maddux is going to be at most a footnote in Dodger history. Sure, he is top five pitcher all-time, but the Dodgers have another who spent his whole career in L.A.: Sandy Koufax.
Bill Plashke makes his living writting mawkish haigography.
Plashke wins, if the Dodgers acquire ‘legends’ and ‘scrappy’ players who he can write emotional pieces about. He couldn’t care less about the stuff most fans care about. Colletti is at heart a P.R. guy, so he loves feeding these stories to the local media.
Neither give a **** about prospects, because you cannot put their name in the paper, yet. The bottom line is the Dodgers had a potential dynasty, like the mid-90s Yankees. You need to endure a couple rough years, while guys come up from double and triple-A. It isn’t as emotional as getting a big-name, but you get a chance to watch a Derek Jeter, a Bernie Williams, an Andy Pettite and a Mariano Rivera compile Hall of Fame credentials on your team.
If the Dodgers had a real GM, then you’d see him acquiring pitching and middle-infielders that might be around when Kemp, Martin, LaRouche, Ethier, Loney, Billingsley, etc. are putting together All-Star caliber seasons. Instead, we get patches to a flawed team.
Tommy Lasorda…greatest Dodger ever, ya fools!!!
The idea of a trade is to make the team better… With the addition of MADDUX can’t see it. Yes Maddux will be in the HALL and yes he WAS a great pitcher, but that was than… Now he’s little more than a 5th starter on a less than average rotation….and for him the GM gave up a YOUNG GOLD GLOVE ALL-STAR that would be around for another 5-7 yrs…Now when I was younger (about 30 yrs ago) the saying was “STRONG UP THE MIDDLE” for a championship team…With Martin, Furcale/Izstrus, AND Kemp, when he matures… All you need is a FEW quality pitchers ( remember the D’ Backs W/S) 2 GREAT pitchers and the rest of the staff. Now you’ve got an AGING pitcher & and player who DOESN’T want to play 2nd and a 38 yr old INJURED 2nd baseman at the end of his cereer….Keep in mind Izstries last comment.. ” I to play anywhere the team wants me to play if it means we’re a better team” I wonder if he ment on another team???
Case wasn’t closed, but nice discussion anyway. We’re not talking about who most influenced the game and society, but about which player for any team — who also at one time or another played as a Dodger (even if it’s one inning) — had the best overall career as a player. Frank Robinson. Case closed.
Mark
http://mlblogs.mlblogs.com