We taught them everything they know…

I remember that day back in September, when Cory Wade, Joe Beimel and I popped by Steelers practice. I took Santonio Holmes over to a side field and we went through some drills, showing him how to catch passes in the corner of the end zone while dragging his toes in bounds. It looks like he finally took to heart the lesson.

OK, so maybe that didn’t happen, but because of our visit to their practice facility and the kindness of their staff in opening their doors to Cory and Joe, two lifelong Steelers fans, that’s who I was rooting for yesterday and it turned out to be an amazing game. Congratulations to that entire organization on an unprecedented sixth title (coincidentally, the same number as the Dodger franchise).

Meanwhile, a group of fans from around the community had a chance to come out to Dodger Stadium and watch the big game from the Baseline Box Club in our second annual Superbowl party. So, with the completion of that game, it’s official. Baseball season is upon us – sure, there’s NBA, the NHL, and college hoops still going on, but we leave for Camelback Ranch – Glendale a week from tomorrow and everyone’s getting pretty fired up.

Hope to see some of you out at our caravan stops tomorrow and Wednesday.

 

0 comments

  2. 636566cy

    Any reason why the “caravan” doesn’t actually caravan outside of the immediate area surrounding Dodger Stadium? The Dodgers have fans in the counties of San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Ventura. I would venture a guess that at least 50% of the fans who attend the games do not live in Los Angeles County. Wouldn’t a true “caravan” actually try to get out to the surrounding areas? Just a thought…

    Reply
  4. enchantedbeaver

    Calling the Ausmus signing Nells was like shooting fish in a barrel.

    The typical part of that signing was that not only is Ausmus 40, but farmhand AJ Ellis projects to be never anything more than a back-up catcher (who would’ve played for the ML minimum of $400K.) Given Ned’s penchant for overpaying washed-up veterans when anyone off the streets would do, the signing was a foregone conclusion.

    Reply
  6. trublu4ever

    Way to go, Eric and bpb!!
    .
    .
    SIGN ANDRE, SIGN MANNY & LET’S GO TO ST WITH A PRETTY GOOD TEAM!!!
    …………………………….SIGN ANDRE……………………………………
    ……………………………SIGN MANNY…………………………………..
    .
    ARE YOU LISTENING FRANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  9. enchantedbeaver

    I’m SHOCKED, shocked I tell you that no one’s signed Jones, Sweeney or Bennett. Afterall, they went a combined 49 for 322 (.152) with 4 HR and 21 RBI (and 104 Ks.)

    Surprisingly, Bennett was the cream of the crop. He had more RBI than Sweeney (4 to 3), the best BA (.190) and didn’t strike out once.

    Think no matter who makes up those ABs next season, production can’t get any worse, even if its Pierre.

    Reply
  13. enchantedbeaver

    Its boggling my mind now… How could you come up in all the RBI situations that Sweeney did, and only come away with 3 RBI? I mean, think about it – a grounder here, a fly ball there would plate a few guys.

    Its just incredible to me that JoJo kept sending him out there time and again despite getting absolutely no production. If that had been DY, he would’ve been released.

    Reply
  14. dodgereric

    Isn’t that funny, I had the 20th in my head for Daytona and now I know why. There’s a billboard in Lake Elsinore for the 20th-22nd, but it’s for the Fontana race weekend. With my attention on all the baseball websites, I haven’t looked on NASCAR.com for a long time! Saturday is the Budweiser Shootout and Sunday is Daytona qualifying already! Hot damned! Here we go!!!

    Boogedy, boogedy, boogedy!!!!!!!

    Reply
  15. trublu4ever

    You are right, bpb! It’s also mind boggling to see JoJo send out JP day after day until, almost too late, I may add, he figured out that Andre could play! It almost cost us the playoffs.

    Reply
  17. dodgereric

    dodgereric: Don’t you sometimes wonder if it’s worth all this? I mean what you’re fighting for.
    enchanted: You might as well question why we breathe. If we stop breathing, we’ll die. If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die.
    dodgereric: Well, what of it? It’ll be out of its misery.
    enchanted: You know how you sound, dodgereric? Like a man who’s trying to convince himself of something he doesn’t believe in his heart.

    Reply
  18. Dodger4life

    Good morning ITD,Dodgerfaithful and Nascar enthuisiast,
    .
    I am supporting #24 jeff Gordon this season!!!
    .
    GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!
    .
    Baseball and Nascar cant wait!!!

    Reply
  22. crzblue2

    Buenos dias ITD boys and girls. Buenos dias Josh!
    .
    Happy belated birthday to Jackie and happy retirement to John Nadel.
    .
    Josh, God willing, I’ll see you and the boys in blue Wednesday! I already asked for the day off.
    .
    Sunday I was remembering when I was in Pittsburgh in the Summer and how much contrast there is between their baseball and football team. I met very nice patient Pirate fans there. Both stadiums are so close. Congratulations to the city of Pittsburgh.
    .

    Reply
  27. enchantedbeaver

    Went to the bank this morning because one of my customers actually paid me, and with the usual chitchat the teller asked me how I liked the Super Bowl. I told him honestly, I didn’t watch even one down – I’m a baseball fan. Then he asked me who my team was and got so excited when I told him the Dodgers. We stood there and talked for 5 minutes (much to the consternation of the managers I’m sure) about Manny and the idiots who run the club. He was even at the game where C.C. bombed that HR.

    So evidently there are at least two people in NM who root for the Dodgers.

    I didn’t tell him about the brown paper bag though.

    Reply
  31. selltheteam

    From the “Where are they now” column… Who carried us in September? Methinks it was Andre with Avg/OBP/SLG/OPS of .462/.557/.692/1.249 and Manny with .370/.465/.753/1.215. Where are they now? Not signed, status unsure. Thanks a lot, McCourt!

    Reply
  37. nellyjune

    LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s time for lunchtime laughter on ITD

    Thanks Crash for pointing out the obvious for everyone but Frank.

    Reply
  39. Dodger4life

    WE LOVE OUR DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    365 DAYS A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    7 DAYS A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    24 HOURS A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    EVERY DAY IN DODGER BLUE IS A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!
    .
    RINGS FOR ALL THE DODGERS IN 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    .
    SIGN MANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    .
    PAY DRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  40. enchantedbeaver

    I still don’t understand why you don’t sign Sheets to a reasonable 2 year contact. 2 years $27M with a team option third at $15M. I think he’s worth the risk to have a true ace at the top of the order because Billz ain’t there yet. Then if you want to sign Wolf or Looper to be a #5, fine.

    Right now our rotation is:
    .
    1. Billz
    2. Kuroda
    3. Kersh
    4. Vargas
    5. Schmidt/Stults/Estes
    .
    I like to call it our Michael Myers Friday the 13th rotation because boy, its scary.

    Reply
  42. cpompe1

    Good afternoon ITD boys and girls!
    So, another quality SP off the market. This is just getting tiring. You know what I’m most afraid of is that we will get NO ONE to replace Derek Lowe. I’m afraid that, even though he’s not our first, second, third, etc. choice, but I’m afraid that someone other than the Dodgers will sign Randy Wolf. Then we keep going on down the list. Maybe Ned has something up his sleeve and he’ll surprise everyone here and sign Sheets. At this point, I’ll take a chance on his health – just to sign a frontline starter. But the way this off-season is going, I wouldn’t be surprised if we signed no FA SP. That’s too bad.

    Reply
  43. trublu4ever

    At least we won’t have to worry if Broxton can handle the closing duties………we won’t be ahead in games in order to give him a chance.

    Reply
  44. trublu4ever

    I don’t mean to take anything away from Andre, Matt, Russell and James……….but, they will need some help.

    Reply
  45. dodgereric

    baggy, while you’ve been tanning in the tropics I’ve been saying the same thing about Sheets. I don’t really care about the injuries, he’s averaged 178 IP over his 8-year career and I’d rather have him for even 150 innings than Wolf for 200.

    Reply
  53. dodgereric

    How do you get better by replacing your #2 (some would say #1) starter with a 4 or a 5? Answer: you DON’T. Except payroll-wise of course.

    Reply
  54. crzblue2

    I like this post from the topesblog:

    “When launching a blog like this, it’s helpful to have a terrific example produced by the parent club to emulate and the Dodgers have one of the very best around. If you haven’t already, definitely check out Dodgers Insider, it truly is one of the best in the business and exactly what we’re striving for in this forum. “

    Reply
  61. Dodger4life

    I have to go 🙂
    .
    Have a great time everyone 🙂
    .
    GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
    .
    BRING THE RING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  62. tradejuanpaperbag

    Here’s an idea……….

    Donate the garden gnome to charity Frank. That way we can write something worthwhile off??? How about the ballfields foundation, they can use a player development admistrator!!!!

    Reply
  63. nellyjune

    I love the website Emma!! I was over there earlier when it first went up …………pretty cool!!

    Dodger4life – take care

    tradejuan – we can only wish for that to happen 🙂

    Reply
  64. enchantedbeaver

    Nice post on the Isotopes blog Eric! My bag will come off if I post over there because they’re mostly all kids just struggling to make it. It’ll be the “no negativity” site.

    Reply
  65. thinkingblue

    I can not believe we haven’t signed Andre…and Manny, the two best players of the team. Come on! So all these prices are going up (ticket sales, food & souvenirs) but yet we don’t have the best players on the team…
    *
    Hello ITD! Happy b-lated to Mr. Jackie.
    *
    I agree with the comment posted by 363… about the Caravan. There is a lot of Dodgers fan out here in the Inland Empire (Riverside & San Bernardino) on their way up to Camelranch. Hey their minor league the I.E. 66rs is on their way to Camel ranch, a quick visit will not hurt. They signed a few autographs and take some pictures. They can play a friendly game or something.
    *
    Rose

    Reply
  68. trublu4ever

    Nice post on the topes blog, dodgereric and, I’m very upset that Bynum will miss 8-12 weeks………which means up to the playoffs.

    Reply
  69. selltheteam

    Uh oh, it could be a long spring in LA with no Bynum, no Manny, and a grumpy Andre who is upset over arbitration. Not to mention only three major league starting pitchers.

    Reply
  72. nellyjune

    This Ethieraholic is thinking that Andre could be grumpy on several fronts – arbitration, no Manny and no SP that can keep them in the game, therefore forcing them produce enough runs to stay ahead of the pitching when pitchers 3-5 are pitching (which may be 2-5 depending on who is signed).

    Reply
  73. trublu4ever

    perumike ~ I think I heard on the radio the other day that a football stadium is going to finally be built……..I believe they said it was somewhere between LA and Orange County. So, maybe in a few years there will finally be NFL in Los Angeles.

    Reply
  74. enchantedbeaver

    That’s assuming Andre would lose his arbitration hearing. There are certainly plenty on this team that he can point to (Jones, Pierre, etc.) that are making much more that he outperformed. Even if he loses I don’t see him as the type to sulk. Manny maybe, but not Andre. I still think they’ll settle before it goes that far.

    I’m not unhappy if they get Wolf – he did alright a couple years ago before he went down – but only if they get him as a 4-5 starter, certainly not a 1-2 to replace Lowe.

    I think that’s best Eric!

    Reply
  76. nellyjune

    brownpaperbag – you are right about Andre. He will do what’s best for the team regardless of the outcome, just like he always has. He will rely on his fans to speak for him, and if things don’t turn out well for him, I don’t think we will have any problem helping him out this time ethier. I know very little about this process so I am going by what you and others are saying.

    Reply
  77. mccheap

    I don’t understand what the hold up is…seriously we need pitching real bad..i mean i am getting tired of waiting for Manny to decide..don’t know who is to blame here but i do know that players are coming off the board and we are not doing anything. Frank Mcourt is being extra cheap this year and i hope he hears it from the fans whenever he decide to show he weezle looking self again…haven’t seen much of franky lately, maybe his wife told him he can’t come out…what a little b&*%^

    Reply
  78. enchantedbeaver

    Neither side wants to lose in arbitration, that’s why the D’s haven’t had one go that far since 2004. $1M isn’t a very big hurdle to overcome. If I wanted a happy and productive player I’d even meet him a little over halfway.

    Does anybody here think though that when our young guns are FA eligible that they won’t bolt? Why would they want to play for McCheap & Co.?

    Reply
  79. trublu4ever

    bpb ~ I, for one, am very afraid that our young guns will leave us for greener pastures. That would be a shame and if that happens, I think Frank will be tarred & feathered. (did I spell that right?) sorry, my brain is malfunctioning.

    Reply
  80. nellyjune

    bpb – I think alot will depend on how they handle Andre and what happens with Manny as well. If either one of them is handled wrong, then I can see our young guns fleeing at their first crack at free agency, and I wouldn’t blame them. I know playing for the Dodgers is supposed to be a supreme thing because of it’s history, but, at what point do you say, it’s not worth it to play for “him”.

    Reply
  81. selltheteam

    Ah, yes, how would Martin and Kemp look in pinstripes? Jorge Posada is getting to old to don the tools of ignorance. And Kemp, who still has a couple rough spots, has way more talent than Melky Cabrera. Makes me sick to think that because of Frank that this is a real possibility.

    Reply
  82. trublu4ever

    crash ~ and you know how the Yankees like doing business with Frank………….they have a connection, which scares me a lot.

    Reply
  84. heartruss

    Good afternoon ITD, Nellyjune, trublu, cpompe1, dodgereric, dodger4life, and all my other friends
    It has been a slow day. Another week went by and nothing happened. Maybe now the management might take steps to give Wolf an offer. It seems that they wait until someone else takes a step. I think they will give Wolf an offer soon, then maybe they can concentrate on Andre and Manny. I think it is absolutely atrocious what is being done to Andre, by the way, but I agree with Nellyjune. Andre was very mature last season when he spent so much time on the bench when he obviously should have been out there playing. I’m glad that he showed them his true colors, both on and off the field. I would have been furious. Andre has shown what a mature player he is. Whatever happens in those arbitration hearings, Andre will still be our Andre. He will play his heart out. And Manny..I don’t know what to think. If the management signs him for less than what he thinks he is worth, will he still be the same Manny? It is a thought. It is a bit tiring wondering what is going on with Borass and Manny. We need to get on with ST!!! They need to concentrate on being the best Dodgers ever with what they have. GO DODGERS!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

    Reply
  85. heartruss

    By the way, who is planning on going to any of the Caravan events? I probably won’t go tomorrow since it will be a mob scene. I’m not really familiar with that area and since it will be dark when it’s over, I may just not go. The Caravans are fun however. I went to the Yankee Doodles event last year. There was a huge crowd with a lot of waiting but it was worth it. I have to work tonight so I will be tired tomorrow. Maybe if someone else from ITD goes???

    Reply
  86. kpookiemon

    No way Pierre starts in left field…even with out Manny. With Furcal healthy(???) Pierre’s “value” as a lead-off hitter goes out the window, and given a FAIR shake in Spring Training, Repko will play circles around Pierre…just like last season when the Dodgers rewarded Repko’s fine Spring with a ticket to Vegas. Not this year. Repko’s agent is already whining as loud as Pierre, and well he should. Granted, the Dodgers wanted to see if Repko could stay heathy for a full season…and he did. Repko even understood that thinking. But this is 2009.

    Hopefully, after Manny re-signs, the Dodgers can work a little payroll magic and move Pierre this Spring–for EVERYONE’S sake, including Juan.

    Reply
  87. crzblue2

    heartruss,
    I will be there tomorrow with my friend Eric. both of us take public transportation to and from work so instead of going home from Union Station, we will take the Red Line for 3 stops and then the Blue line for one stop. Is the way I go when I go see the Lakers. LA Lives is next to the Staple Center. Last time I was in the area, Eric and I checked out Lucky Strike bowling alley. Is very, very nice.

    Reply
  89. thinkingblue

    Hello All,
    Emma have fun tomorrow and report to us all the details.
    *
    Heartruss…yeah it is sad what they are doing to Andre. I still can’t believe that he hasn’t be signed or even Manny. The two top players of 08′.
    *
    Crash24 – both Kemp & Martin will look good in anything they get put into. LOL!
    *
    TRU – I hope that we the fans have inspired the Young Guns to want to stay here in L.A. and be Dodgers for love. But just hoping. Can you imagine Kemp in a couple of years…he is going to be hotter than last year, Andre, Martin, Loney….we have great guys that I hate to loose either one of them.
    *Rose (a.k.a. dodgersrules1655)

    Reply
  90. thinkingblue

    Dodger4life – how is it that you can get the “D” in Dodger4life show in upper case where the Blogs stamps your log in name with date????

    Reply
  92. trublu4ever

    msrussyethier ~ I hope all the young guns are with us for a very long time. I think they are a very strong building block for our future.

    Reply
  94. nellyjune

    kahli – what do you think about that offer? I guess I am really not sure what Boras and Manny are thinking, like any of us are.

    Reply
  95. northstateblues

    (Wii blogging again, this time with a keyboard)

    Houston, we have an offer…

    I think that this offer, pitched in the presence of Borass, shows that the Dodgers are selling themselves as a way for Manny to showcase himself, outside of the Boston stigma, for the benefit of a long-term AL contract in the near future.

    If nothing else, Manny shouldn’t be grumpy by earning $25 million in a season. He’ll especially be motivated with the big money on the horizon.

    Thus, no “bad Manny”. If you’re to believe my spin. I’m not so sure that I believe my spin, but I wonder if Boras thinks that offer’s “serious” enough.

    (Oh, and THANK YOU ALBERT PUJOLS!!!)

    Reply
  96. oldbrooklynfan

    That was truly an exciting Super Bowl, not very well played, but all those penalties along with the fact that I didn’t care who lost it made it an exciting game.
    I find football a very nice game to watch and I was getting into it about 30 years ago but life and the Dodgers got in the way. But none the less I enjoyed it to the fullest.
    .
    I just found out that the Dodgers made a new offer to Manny.
    I year only and asking him to wait ’till next year. I hope he accepts it, but I doubt it.

    Reply
  97. Dodger4life

    I hope he takes the offer soon and we make another offer, this one to Sheets.
    .
    GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  98. kpookiemon

    Personally, I’d like to lock Manny up for AT LEAST two years. The message to the kids will be that he’s simply a hired gun for one season…and you know he’d sign elsehwere in 2010 just for spite. But it’s a moot point. He and Boras won’t accept 1 year.

    Reply
  99. oldbrooklynfan

    Thanks Nellie
    For giving me that info about changing my nick name.
    They use to use my e-mail address and then like everyone else they changed it to my name.
    That was O.K. I’d rather not have my e-mail address.
    .
    I see some real fancy handles and just wished I could change mine to one I think fits me perfectly.

    Reply
  100. enchantedbeaver

    Joe Pierre – go to mlb.com and up at the upper righthand side just to the left of the “search” in the thin gray strip it says MY ACCOUNT. Click that and it will take you into your account profile. In the center section under the heading “Personal Information” it will have a box for your first name and a box for your last name. Directly under those two boxes there’s:
    .
    NICKNAME / change (in blue)
    .
    Click on change and it will pop up a screen so that you can change and save the nickname you want.

    Reply
  110. kpookiemon

    I just want to make sure that when that “supposed” ITD tour comes down that they invite both kahli and kpookie…and they’d better show us Ned’s super-secret telephone to Boras.

    If Manny takes the $25 million, he’ll be the second-highest paid player in baseball, trailing only you-know-who by $2.5 million, but $2 million ahead of CC and $2.5 million ahead of Teixeira.

    Reply
  111. trublu4ever

    kahli ~ I really think he will take it. And, it will be great for us because he will play his little heart out trying to impress future suitors.

    Reply
  115. nellyjune

    Good Evening ITD readers and writers!!!!

    What have we got here!!! Kpookiemon, formerly known as Kahliforni, is back to being Kalhiforni, formerly known as kpookiemon – How cool is that!!!! So, if that can happen maybe, Porklinks, formerly known as westernmost, formerly known as Old Fogey, can go back to being Old Fogey, if he chooses of course.

    Reply
  116. kpookiemon

    From Tony Jackson, Daily News:
    “This from a source who requested anonymity. It isn’t a firm deadline, per se, contrary to what was reported earlier tonight on ESPN. But it also has been hinted to me — not told to me in so many words, but hinted to me — that this is akin to a final offer and that the Dodgers will ‘move on’ if Ramirez turns up his nose at it.”

    nellyjune, what was original moniker way back when??????????

    Reply
  117. nellyjune

    I tried the “change nickname” for 7 months to get nellyjune to show up on the “by line” and I eventually just gave up and opened a new e-mail account with a new mlblog account. My original one was dnelson@mcsd……….

    Reply
  118. northstateblues

    Did anyone see that Dodger Thoughts is moving to the L.A. Times as it’s official Dodger blog? Can’t copy and paste on the Wii, but Blue Notes had an article about it on the LATimes.com site.

    Reply
  119. kpookiemon

    If Boras counters at 2 years, $50 million, I think Dodgers should say absolutely “yes.” That way, in two years, Uncle Joe’s contract will be up, Ned could be histroy, Pierre will have one stinking year left (if he hasn’t been gratefully traded long before) and MartinLoneyKempEthierBillingsleyKershaw will take their rightful place as the established stars of a burgeoning dynasty. Or……???

    Reply
  122. Dodger4life

    ………………manny……………………..manny
    ……..comebackcomeback……comebackcomeback
    ……come back..come back..come back..come back
    …..come back….come backcome back….come back
    …….come backcome back….come backcome back
    ……….manny.come back……..manny.come back
    ……………….come back……………….come back
    ………………come back………………come back
    …………….come back………………come back
    …………..come back………………come back
    .

    Reply
  125. nellyjune

    Pay dre……….pay dre,pay
    pay dre……..pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre…pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre……pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre………pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre………pay dre
    pay dre…..pay dre………pay dre
    pay dre…….pay dre…….pay dre
    pay dre……….pay dre.pay dre

    Andre deserves every penny!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  126. dodgereric

    So we’ve broken the ice with a 1 year, $25 million offer. Where have I heard that idea before?

    “Happy New Year ya’ll!

    Regarding Manny, it’s plain that he wants a long-term deal that he won’t get with the Dodgers. It doesn’t appear that he’ll get it from anyone. He’s got no one to blame but himself. No one wants the potential nightmare, but I think there’s a way out.

    I think it might be in his best interest to sign a short-term deal, say a one-year deal for a nice salary ($25 mil). It’s obvious that only an American League team would ever give him a long-term contract due to his advancing age and defensive liabilities. It’s very probable that he’ll continue to hit well for several more years.

    Let’s say that deal happens:

    1 – Manny gets the rush of the largest single-year contract ever, so he’s happy.
    2 – It’s a salary drive-incentive year, so we get his best effort.
    3 – He uses this year as a demonstration to the AL that he’s reformed.
    4 – Lambo shows us he’s ready by tearing up the AA and AAA.
    5 – We mutually part ways with Manny.
    6 – With a year and a half elapsing after his nasty RedSox ending, enough AL teams are impressed with his great attitude and bat that he gets that 4 year deal to finish his career.
    7 – We have what, $60 million (?) come off the books in 2010 (for Manny and Schmidt’s and Jones’ money) to help us sign and keep our kids.
    8 – Left field opens up for Lambo.

    OK, the Lambo part is a bit hopeful. But doesn’t the rest make some sense for everyone? We get a full year of Manny-production

    By dodgereric on January 1, 2009 11:22 AM”

    Of course, he’s turned it down:
    http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers-manny-ramirez3-2009feb03,0,1851247.story

    The way this article finishes irks me:

    “The Dodgers could find themselves in a bind if Ramirez receives a multi-year offer from another club. If Ramirez is offered what he considers a fair deal, sources close to him say that he wouldn’t grant the Dodgers a chance to match it, forcing the Dodgers to go into spring training without their only star attraction and reliable run producer.

    Failure to re-sign Ramirez could result in the pursuit of Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn, who remain available.

    Asked whether the Dodgers would turn to other options if Ramirez rejected their latest proposal, Colletti replied, “We’ll see.”

    You won’t let us match another offer? What the hell kind of negotiating is THAT? If that’s true, and I say IF, because we are dealing with the Supreme Liar Boras, then to hell with you Manny and you Boras. Get me Abreu’s agent on the phone right now!

    Reply
  133. dodgereric

    Good evening my friends!

    First, I think D4 is a very smart man.

    Second, I still think a 1 year deal is not an insult, it’s a good idea for Manny. For the reasons I listed on Jan 1.

    Third, we’re about to find out if there is really another team in the mix. We may have brought other teams into play with this offer. If there are no other offers, Boras needs to counter. Perhaps a 3-year deal. Then Ned can put a 2-year out there and we can all stop talking about it.

    Wouldn’t that be nice?

    And if another team gets him, as I said, don’t let the door hit you in the ***. Sign Abreu, get some guts and sign Sheets, and then give Andre his money and praise him for being a team player last year.

    Reply
  139. dodgereric

    Frankly, I’m amazed at this offer jungar. I didn’t think he’d play hardball. Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps that’s exactly what he wants. If that’s true, there should be nowhere for him to hide in this city.

    Reply
  141. Dodger4life

    Boras is trying to create interest in Manny. How many multi year deals have been made this year?? Not many, if Manny was going to get a multi year deal for 25 million a year. We would have action by now. Any offer that is less than 50 million for 2 years and Frank doesnt beat he will be crucified for by the press and the fans. Until someone makes that offer ours is 25 million for 1year, 2nd highest contract ever offered anyone in yearly salary. Boras is going to squeeze every last drop out of this lemon 🙂 We will get a chance to match any and all offers.
    .
    GO DODGERS!!!!!!!

    Reply
  142. alex41592

    This whole situation has been butchered by Scott Boras. A-Rod stood up to him last offseason when Boras played with the Yankees. If Manny wants the money it’s waiting for him right here in Los Angeles. Manny can make all of this end. He should tell Boras to get a deal done. If not Manny is going to end up a one man show on a small market team. While the Manny-less Dodgers compete for a division title. We don’t need Manny to win despite what the ‘media’ tells us. I want Manny on the Dodgers but he’s going to have to want to be a Dodger. Until that comes we’re better off without him.

    Reply
  143. Dodger4life

    With out the Dodgers in the mix does’nt Manny’s worth go down even more????
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    ALL IN !!!!!!
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    GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

    Reply
  144. dodgereric

    I’m getting tired of fighting my connection, so this is going to be it for me.

    Pure and simple, whatever deal gets him on the Dodgers, Manny has to like it.

    If it’s the 1-year – and maybe McCourt can sweeten it to $30 mil so he can say he has the biggest deal ever, he has to see that it’s the smart thing for him to do as a road to one more multi-year deal to finish off his career.

    If they end up compromising on a 2 or 3 year, he has to be happy with it.

    If either of these deals leaves him unhappy, he’s the last guy I want on my team. Adios.

    Reply
  147. Dodger4life

    Good Night ITD,Dodgerfaithful.
    .
    Good Night to all involved parties, may tommorrow have a solution that is good for both sides.
    .
    May the team as a whole, players, mngmt, owners, and all of the blue in the stands find a happy medium to the situation at hand.
    .
    I would love to see Manny remain a Dodger and help lead this team to the treasured ring.
    .
    If both sides truly want this to happen lets get it done.
    Do whatever it takes to bring a championship back home to LA.
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    If not lets show the cards collect the pot and move on!!!
    .
    Good night again and God Bless everybody 🙂
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    GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    .
    BRING THE RING BACK TO LA IN 2009!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  148. nellyjune

    Good Night ITD readers and writers!!!!! I just want this whole issue to be over. This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things to have happened in the off season. Let’s hope all involved come with their best game plans so we can finally come to a conclusion on this Manny ordeal.

    Reply
  152. trublu4ever

    Good Morning ITD ~ Bear, I’m with you 100%.
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    F RAMIREZ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    F BORASS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    DAMMIT, SIGN ANDRE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  153. nellyjune

    Okay – it really is time to move on….this is just absolutely ridiculous. Get Andre taken care of, sign Abreu (if still possible) and please get us a SP.

    Reply
  154. messagebear@msn.com

    Offer Andre $3.5 million for 2009, and the deal should be done and make Andre happy.

    Go after Abreu with a two year deal and a performance based option for year three.

    Try getting Sheets with a one year deal and a performance based option for year two.

    Reply
  155. obi_wen

    Okay ITD crew, Borass turned down $25million and didn’t even submit a counter offer, so I say it’s time to move on.
    I say that we offer Adam Dunn the same deal. Dunn will give us the same amount of HR power and equal defensive liability as Manny. We need to sign Andre Ethier, trade Juan Pierre, sign two more pitchers and get ready to go to Spring Training. Go Dodgers!

    Reply
  157. trublu4ever

    Good morning nellyjune & it’s nice to see you again Obi! We certainly are in a mess right now. I’d love to see JP out of Dodger Blue but, nobody out there wants him. However, if Frank gives Andre the money he deserves, Juan will be begging to get out of LA………if he’s not gone, will have Mr. Pouty for the entire season!

    Reply
  160. enchantedbeaver

    From what I’be been reading, Abreu is more of a defensive liability than Manny and Pierre. A duo of Dunn/Kemp will be a rally killer with all of their K’s. Hell, let’s give DY a shot at LF and spend the money saved on Sheets and Wolf. That would then replace Lowe and Penny/Maddux. We’ll just have to rely that the kids take that next step and Ferk stays healthy all year.

    Reply
  163. enchantedbeaver

    Nice to see too that in a worldwide economic crisis, greed is still alive and well.

    Borass and Fehr, the two biggest cancers in baseball.

    Reply
  164. trublu4ever

    ESPN is just reporting that BorASS is the one who rejected the offer………he says there are still teams out there who are intersted. However, Dillon Hernandez says he still thinks the Dodgers will make another offer. I really don’t think they will.

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  165. enchantedbeaver

    Funny that none of these “other teams” have surfaced to make an offer by now with only 2 weeks until ST starts. Borass is nothing but full of ****.

    Reply
  166. messagebear@msn.com

    Doing good this morning, bpb – thanks for asking.

    I guess I’m counting on our young guys adding some power this season – Kemp needs to break out to justify all the expectations of the last couple of years, and Andre, Loney and Russ should all exceed their HR numbers of last season. I personally would prefer Abreu’s expected consistency at bat compared to Dunn’s extra HR’s but many more K’s. I don’t want there to be a question in Torre’s mind whether Pierre can be an everyday answer in LF; otherwise, I too would just as soon go for Sheets and Wolf and just give DY and Repko a chance to fill out the outfield.

    Reply
  167. trublu4ever

    I agree, bpb! Do you really think we are through with Manny? Are we going to make another offer? Is Manny going to tell Borass to take the deal of $25M?

    Reply
  168. trublu4ever

    Bear ~ you realize we are talking about the Joe who played JP almost half of the season and kept putting Andruw out there thinking he’d come out of his slump………and who kept sending Sweeney up to pinch hit when we all know it was an automatic out!

    Reply
  169. enchantedbeaver

    Glad to hear it bear! We need you on here more often!!

    Kemp and Dre should get to 25 HR apiece this year.

    You’d think that after watching JP much of last year, Torre wouldn’t have any doubts as to what JP can’t do and would give DY and Repko a fair shot at earning the position, but then, Joe’s an idiot and the same person that trotted Sweeney out there time after time to fail.

    Reply
  172. enchantedbeaver

    You put Sheets and Wolf on this team and they’re really no worse than what we went into the season with last year.

    Manny no doubt is a big stick in the line-up, but remember what this offense did the first month of the season when Ferk was en fuego. They averaged about 5.5 runs a game, and that was with Kent clogging up the clean-up spot, a raw rookie playing third, and the worst player ever in CF. Even JP was getting ABs.

    It still all boils down to what we kept saying over and over again last year – just put the best players on the field regardless of salary, and good things happen.

    Reply
  174. nellyjune

    Good Morning ITD readers and writers!!!!

    I am just checking in to see if any new developments have happened since reading earlier and apparently not. I really thought going into this off season, most of these decisions would be just a given, but apparently, it just shows you, like bpb said, greed is alive and well. BTW – Did hear that Selig got a nice hefty raise as well? I tried to post the article yesterday, but it wouldn’t allow it for some reason.

    Just pay Andre what he deserves and get some pitching and get this season started with what we have. Take a chance on DY or Repko on left and let’s do this.

    Reply
  176. trublu4ever

    Other teams are talking to Abreu, but not the Dodgers. Apparently, we are more interested in Dunn if Manny is a goner…………however, ESPN is reporting we would be a good fit for Sheets. So, the merry-go-round continues.

    Reply
  181. jungar@wsgcorp.com

    The Dodgers should make a counter offer..5 years and 50 million. You want your long term deal, there it is.

    Reply
  184. messagebear@msn.com

    I would have liked Orlando Hudson all along on decent terms, but we went ahead and got Blake. I think that DeWitt would have been better at third to begin with, and Hudson could have fit the other infield needs including not having to get Loretta.

    Reply
  186. enchantedbeaver

    In this economy, small market teams can’t afford Manny, so that leaves us with NYM, NYY, Boston, LAA, LAD, Cubs and [barf] SF. The Yankees don’t need him. Boston doesn’t want him. The Mets can’t afford him now. The Angeles don’t care. The Cubs don’t care. And SF’s in the same NL boat we are.

    C’mon Borass, name the “interested” teams who are willing to give Manny a long term deal. My guess is that they’re all in Japan.

    Move on Ned. Sign Sheets. Sign Wolf. Trade Noodles and we’ll go with what we’ve got.

    Reply
  187. trublu4ever

    ESPN seems to think the gnats and Nationals may make a move on Manny but, it won’t be more than what we’ve offered………like jungar said, maybe more years but far less money. So, bpb, I guess I agree with you……….sign Andre, sign Sheets, sign Wolf and we’d be okay. And of course, get rid of JP!

    Reply
  188. crzblue2

    The “interested team” is here http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3769889
    ~~Worcester, MA January 27, 2009 — The Worcester Tornadoes Professional Baseball Team has offered a contract to free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez for two years worth $24,000. The deal would pay the 12-time Major League Baseball All-Star approximately $3,000 during each month of the Can-Am Baseball Season. Unlike Major League Baseball, the Can-Am League operates with a salary cap, and the deal for Ramirez would be on par with other veterans in the league.
    “I feel Manny would really enjoy playing in Worcester and hitting in our ballpark. Although I would be concerned about the cars traveling on I-290 during his at bats, it’s a risk worth taking,” said General Manager, Jorg Bassiacos.
    .
    The contract was sent to Ramirez around 2:00 EST on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.
    .
    Other former Red Sox players have been spotted at Tornadoes games in 2008, including Johnny Pesky and Roger Clemens along with current Tornadoes manager, Rich Gedman, and bench coach, Roger LaFrancois.~~
    .
    What a mess this is. I am ready to move on from Manny. I am sure Andre will do well in arbitration so let’s get some pitching and talk to Abreu.

    Reply
  190. enchantedbeaver

    Manny just got done making $160M the past 8 years. He and his decendants are set forever. Hell, he doesn’t even cash all his checks. The only one I see driving the greed is Borass. He found a dupe in Manny. He talked him into tanking in Boston with the promise of another $100M+ payday and now thinks a 37 year old ballplayer should be paid more than when he was in his prime.

    If Manny fires Borass and takes either offer the Dodgers made, fine. Otherwise both of them can stick it where the sun don’t shine. Don’t cave in Ned.

    And don’t EVER deal with Borass again.

    Reply
  192. trublu4ever

    Interesting item on ESPN radio, LA…………if Manny can put 300-400 more cars in the parking lot, it will cover his salary.

    Reply
  193. enchantedbeaver

    ESPN must be using Obamanomics – 400 cars x $15 parking fee x 81 games = $486,000. The rest will obviously be made up with government bailouts.

    Reply
  194. trublu4ever

    I know, bpb! Jamie McCourt thought we were a boring team without him. I think the young guns are fun to watch. Who’s running the team, Jamie or Frank? I should say, trying to run the team.

    Reply

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