Calm day at Camelback
It was relatively quiet around here today, which is a good thing. We’re actually having a departmental BBQ tonight, as Spring Training is a great time for bonding within the team’s front office.
As of right now, we’re still scheduled to go to arbitration with Andre tomorrow and I know that everyone here is hoping that we don’t have to go. I’ve learned quite a bit about the process in the last couple weeks in talking to both Andre and my colleagues in the front office and I know that none one really wants to have a hearing. That said, we’ll see if they can somehow come to a middle ground beforehand and if not, I’m sure both sides will handle it professionally. We’ve seen a few cases in the past go to a hearing and fortunately, while it’s never fun, I don’t believe it has affected the Dodger player’s performance on the field that season.
In any event, regarding the question about the LA Times article that ran last week, I’m happy to clarify it. There has never been any doubt, nor have we tried to deny the fact that financially, it will be better for the team in Glendale than in Vero Beach. I think it’s safe to say that that is the case with any new facility, even if we had built a new one in Vero Beach. What we’ve repeatedly said, however, is that this move was made because of the fans’ ability to be a part of it. One is a cause and the other is the effect. If we thought it was better for the majority of our fans in Los Angeles to trek across the country, we would have surely stayed in Vero but I think we’ve learned over time that our fans simply weren’t doing that. In fact, I grew up in LA and I didn’t know a single person who had ever gone to Spring Training at Dodgertown, which is a shame.
The story did talk about how ticket sales and sponsorships are not what we expected them to be and yes, our very experienced COO Dennis Mannion did state that the economy is a major reason for that. We all believe this and we’re seeing it in every walk of life, not just baseball. However, just because projections aren’t where we thought they’d be in year one doesn’t mean that it was a bad decision. Our hope is to be at Camelback Ranch for 60-plus years, just like Vero Beach, and I know that if you take the chance to bring your family out here, you’re going to love the experience. Right now, fans are getting the chance to interact with players up close and personal and that’s very rare in baseball or any sport, for that matter.
And finally, I truly do believe that the Dodgers have taken the economy into account. We had our best season on the field in 20 years and very easily could have utilized that success to raise ticket prices. But, we did not do so while several other teams did.
We still have tickets that are very, very reasonably priced all over the stadium, both in LA and here in Arizona. Eight bucks for a Spring Training game or $10 for a regular season game is pretty darn cheap in today’s world. So is twenty-something dollars for seats that are between the bases and practically in the front row at Camelback. And five dollars for parking is hard to argue with (the same as Vero Beach).
I really think you’d be surprised how often ownership and the front office team talk about the issues that fans face and how we can help make the experience better. We’re far from perfect, but I know that we all come to work every day and try to accomplish the three goals that have been set forth by the McCourts – competing for a championship year in and year out, an unparallelled fan experience and dedication in the community. This blog is a great way for you to share your input and know that it’s being read, considered, and often acted upon by those of us who work for the team and who love the organization as much as you do.
Inside the Dodgers 
Josh, we appreciate the updates that you have given us. All of us have one thing in common….WE LOVE THE DODGERS! I, for one, am looking forward to coming to ST. This will be a first for me. You are right. I never even thought I could go cross country to ST. It was just too far away. Again, thank you for all the info!
Thanks for the update, Josh. I was hoping Andre wouldn’t have to go to arbitration but, no matter what happens, I know he will be a true professional and not let it affect his play on the field or his wonderful connection with his fans.
Looks like the Straw is giving us Ball 8… or is it 8 Ball…
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02112009/gossip/pagesix/darryl_bares_met_sexcapades_154534.htm
Seriously, put the kids to bed before reading this one (definitely 18-and-over material).
nsblues ~ and, they thought Joe’s book was bad! Talk about breaking the “code”!
Josh, you are correct that most Dodger fans from So Cal have never been to a Dodger ST game. Vero is just too far away. I traveled to Florida one Spring for business and was fortunate to see a ST game at Vero. Although I would have loved to go to ST every year, I have not been sine that visit over 10 years ago. I am taking my son (now 14 and a huge Dodger fan) to a couple games this spring. We are both looking forward to this trip. If the Dodgers were still in Vero, I likely would have never made this trip with my son. Thank you Mr. McCourt for doing the right thing for Dodger fans in So Cal by moving ST out west.
ns, thanks for the link. Booze, broads, and baseball–how retro!! Nothing new here. Guess the “Straw” needs a little retirement nest egg after he p@#$ed away,literally and figuratively, the fortune he made during his playing days. Outside of Mets fans and the Mets players of that era, I can’t imagine there will be much interest in Strawberry’s 20-plus year old war stories. What I find objectionable is that Strawberry, by not naming names, implicates everyone and noone in these shenanigans. Better he should’ve written an autobiography….Good luck, Andre, on your hearing tomorrow. It’s ridiculous that the D’s and Andre are going to arbitration over, essentially, 500k, the cost of one of our pitching cattle call suspects.
bpr ~ I agree with you on Strawberry’s book and the poor way Andre’s situation was handled.
Good Evening ITD readers and writers!!!
Josh – thank you for the updates, and thank you for letting us voice our opinions. I am hoping for a last minute agreement with Andre and the Dodgers. I just want him, and our other young guns, to be Dodgers for a long time, and I just feel this process is not a positive towards this happening.
Josh, the updates are great and I appreciate the fact that you read the blog and respond. It looks as if it is going to be a great facility. Although, after having been to Vero 4 times at Fantasy Camp and I was able to finally make ST last year…Vero was a great place to visit…It is hard admitting that the Dodgers needed to make this move and now that I live in Texas, it should be easier for me to make it…although the bad economy is going to stop me this year…I have alot of friends that will be there…Have a great time and keep the great updates coming…
Also say hi to Nancy Gollnick for me,,,it is great that the Dodgers have asked her to come out to Arizona after all her hard work she has done for them in Vero…She is a great lady…We love you Nancy!!!!
Andre, I hope you guys settle tonight, if not go in there and rip off the Dodgers head and hand it back to them on a silver platter….You deserve all the money…you play with pride, effort and you do not whine about playing time….You produced at the plate and in the field….And in the community…Frank he should be the face of the new Young Dodgers, you are a PR man, for godsakes, take care of him.
Jungar, I did not really understand your point on Pierre in the last thread…You want him to play more? You were not very clear…
nellyjune ~ don’t you find it amazing how Ned says we love Andre……….he was one of my first signings……and then they hang him out to dry?
ramslover – very well said about Andre. It seems you figured it out who he is this time 🙂
trublu – I know, if you love him so much, why is this happening? I really don’t care if Andre isn’t the one budging (which I find highly unlikely) then he still deserves it IMO.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Andre.
Josh – Well, I was was born and raised as a Dodger fan in Southern California and I know at least 20 different families, not just people, that went back to Spring Training in Vero Beach including my family 3 times in the last 5 years. As far as the McCourts addressing the fans questions, which fans are talking about? I’ve never seen nor heard of any forum where the McCourts have spoken to any fan who wishes to address them. Sure, they have done meet and greets with certain season tickets holders and the bloggers group, but that does not constitute the average fan. If the Power Couple want to know what we have on our mind, tell them a Town Hall meeting like some other teams have would be a great start. And, no, they can’t charge admission to it, either.
BTW, even though you clarified the Dodgers official decision about McRanch, you specifically said in a January post that no one was talking about the revenue that was going to be made as a result of McRanch, but everyone was talking about the great experience the fans would have. Judging by Dennis Mannion’s comments in the article, that may not have been entirely the case. Also, since I seem to be taking you to task tonight, that was not the best team the Dodgers have fielded in the last 20 years. The Dodgers won a World Championship in 1988, remember? If my math is correct, that was 20 years ago.
I want Juan Pierre playing as many games as he can for the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies or Giants that’s what I want. If you are trying to get me goin again (LOL) don’t.
Hey did you guys see that article on the homepage..
As if he wasn’t already my favorite Dodger…
“…Of course we want him back and of course we need him. He’s a freak.” (Kemp on Manny)
And Now Torre is my hero as well:
“I don’t even want to think about him (Manny) not being here,” said Torre (With a vision of Juan Pierre wearing his hat under his batting helmet)
Ah, come on, Jungar, we want to get you going again! lol
The Dodgers of the past routinely made the playoffs and did not always raise ticket prices either. Besides, this is not just many other teams, this is the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a fan base, we expect more out of the ownership then just being like other teams. If that’s what we were looking for, FOX might as well still own the team. Oh wait a minute, they kind of do, don’ they?
H
the dude Ludwig from the cards just got 3.75..Dre should come in a tad below that don’t ya think?
Ryan Ludwick
104
37
113
.299 .375 .591 .966
Ethier
90
20
77
.305 .375.510 .885
well that post did not work out so well…lets try again…how many of you guys are on facebook and is there an Inside the Dodgers group…if not lets start one…We can make so people can put a name to a face…I can only imagine what BPB mugshot will be, a paper bag with an LA on it….So what do you think?
Also Jungar, I thought I had you going, but you caught on to me…
Gonna be kinda hard for Dre to get his asking price compared to Ludwick’s numbers. I think 3.2, 3.25 is a good compromise that both sides can walk away happy.
I knew it! and yeah Ram here ya go…(and Everyone.)
ITD Facebook already started…
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=25648866139
ramslover – many of us are on facebook. jungar started ITD facebook group. Start there and you should find those of us that are on facebook….there are quite a few now 🙂
nevermind – thanks jungar 🙂
Yes I jsut looked it up….thats great….joining now!!!!
Man we really need to work on the frequency people visit the Facebook sight eh? Wheres JHall, Joe Pierre, BPB, Dishguy, Amy, Trublu, and everyone else…
Nelly where has Jhall been or is he incognito with his name in code?
What a proud night…I joined ITD facebook and also the I love Scrapple group….Wow….
I prefer to remain one of life’s mysteries – the stuff of myth and legend for cryptozoologists to try and prove exists. You know, like Ned’s intelligence.
yeah we only advertised it one time..it would be great if everyone got on, so coll to put a face to a name !!! Plus if u add me as your friend i can show u my photo album of Juan Pierre pics I have collected over the years. j/k
bpb – that’s what makes you so enchanting ……the mystery behind you 🙂
I would be very surprised to see Ethier win his case tomorrow. With Ludwick making 3.7 million after his third full season with better numbers. I think they can come to an agreement before Kim Ng does what she does best. 3.25 million seems like a good middle point otherwise Ethier will probably end up with 2.65 million. It’s just business as I don’t see it affecting game play whatsoever. 9 days until first spring game!
That’s funny jungar!! LMAO!!!!
Yah the only thing Dre cares about is doing better than last year, I agree Alex. He’ll get his money. This is a huge year for him. Age 27. Here we go. One year I drafted a fantasy team of only players age 27 or 28 and won the whole thing.Those are the best years and all of our guys will be there soon!! I can’t wait for the games, the live blogging is the best part of being around here. The highs and lows, the arguments and second guessing. Let’s just hope that this year, with manny we can settle in on a line up so we don;t have those crazy adventures daily
ramslover – jhall is looking forward to Spring Training with us. He has just been very busy with work lately.
Jungar, I just took you up on that…
It’s funny Nelly but there is a slight obsession with JP. My friends say things, man we were doing fine until you went all Juan Pierre on us…You can be the top trial attorney in LA getting criminals freed everyday, arguing with me in a bar, defending Coletti, and i’ll go all Juan Pierre on you and you will loose the case. lol
Alex – It’s great to see you again. I know Andre will get at least the 2.65, and he will have a great year, no doubt about that.
jungar – I am the same way. One mention of the name and it’s enough to get me started.
Yeah, you cannot feel too bad for these guys getting only 2.65 million…an 8x last raise….I have gotten it the other way this year and have lost 60 % of my monthly income…so it is hard to feel sorry for them….I think professional athletics will be under going a big reality check these next 3-5 years…When these tv contracts are up and with all the sponsors pulling out, revenues are going to drop…Now the big boys will do ok, but the little guys and older guys will be hurting…
I like the fact there are more incentive based contracts this year…it is about time…Maybe no more 7-10 pitchers getting 5-6 mil…now it will be 2-3 (sorry about their luck) mil and incentives….
Well good night all…turning it in and ready to wake up and celebrate birthday number 6 for my little princess…
Happy Birthday to your little princess!!! Take Care and God Bless Ramslover 🙂
Here jungar – this should tempt you – LOL!!!
http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_dodgers_16.45a2fcc.html
Pierre and the Dodgers would welcome a trade. The problem is the Dodgers can’t find anyone to say “Thank You” so they can actually say “Your welcome”.
Andre still could win in arbitration.
According to USA TODAY:
“Ryan Ludwick and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a $3.7 million, one-year contract and avoided an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday.
The outfielder had asked for $4.25 million when exchanging proposed arbitration figures last month and the team had offered $2.8 million, making Monday’s settlement $175,000 above the midpoint.”
I personally think Lutwick was worth a lot more than 4.2 million given his numbers and considering what the Phillies paid Ryan Howard. The significance here is that the arbitrators made no ruling in Lutwick ‘s case. I think if he proceeded to arbitration he would have been awarded $4.2 million. In fact, I think he could’ve been awarded more had he asked for it. So, Andre’s case is still very much alive.
I look for them to settle for $3.2 million. If Andre loses, I go to no dodger game this year.
rintinjim – It’s great to see you on ITD once again. All we can do is hope Andre comes out of this ready to get it done just like he has done year after year, regardless of the outcome. I have no doubts he will, but I don’t think management is going to hear the end of it, if the outcome is anything less than positive.
Andre is a very sensitive person from what I can see. And yet The Dodgers have spared no effort to shake his confidence. Haggling over a few hundred thousand dollars for a player of his caliber is ridiculous. Look how much the Red Sox paid for JD Drew, a right fielder of dubious quality.
The Dodgers should be interested in building up goodwill with Andre. I would hate to be looking at his box scores when he is playing for the Red Sox or Yankees.
What are they thinking?
I only go to the dodger games to see Andre (and of course Manny brought electricity to dodger Stadium.) With a beaten-down Andre, I would be a very unhappy fan.
Okay maybe I still would go. But I won’t buy a beer or hotdog.
Josh, if you want the fans take on how to make it a better experience going to a game, how about putting a better team on the field. A team that has a chance to go to the World Series without having to buy tickets. How about spending some money on players still in their prime and paying the up and comers what they deserve. It’s true the economy is not good but other teams have managed to improve, the Dodgers are going backwards IMO.
Boy, this place has been a real downer lately:(
I just don’t get all the negativity. It’s Spring Training!!! The Grand Game is starting anew. The sounds of gloves popping and balls hitting bats…some of the best sounds in the whole world.
Baseball is a business too. A great game like baseball with its appeal will always be big business.
McRanch is a whole lot closer to the vast majority of Dodgers fans. It is a great thing for the team from a baseball standpoint and for those fans that like to go to ST. Once again, other than a few super high priced tickets for the Beverly Hills market, the tickets are reasonable. About the same as the Angels, Giants, and Cubs ST tix. Therefore I do not begrudge them trying to create new revenue streams. We had better find more revenue to try to compete with the new Mets stadium. And it seems to me to be reasonable to try to sell sponsorships…just a bad economic time to do it in.
I do not get too upset about the business side because I realize it is a business. I try to focus on the field…
By the way, cy, last season was the 20th season since 1988, so Josh’s statement is accurate. 2009 will be the 21st…
Andre’s going to get a gigantic raise either way. And if he’s too sensative to play hard, then… And because it’s a business, Andre will go to the highest bidder when he becomes a FA. My frustration is it seems like they are not negotiating a long term deal…oh well.
And show me a team who doesn’t care about the business side. The new awesome owners of the Red Sox? Did you see how they treated their Captain? It is a business. Millionaires playing for billionaires. I do not feel sorry for either side; I just understand it.
I watch because the best players in the world play the greatest game in the world. And I bleed Dodger Blue. If I thought the McCourts were totally screwing us I would be irate. As it is, they have made a few bad decisions on FA’s, most teams do, but I have liked their ownership relative to other baseball ownerships. How angry were all of you when the Dodgers only made the playoffs twice in the 15 previous years? I can’t imagine. I still loved the Blue, except when they added silver, and hoped for better times. Which these last five years have been relative to the previous 15 seasons.
Go Dodgers!!!
Good Morning ITD, Dodgerfaithful
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Pay dre……….pay dre,pay
pay dre……..pay dre
pay dre…..pay dre
pay dre…..pay dre
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pay dre…..pay dre…pay dre
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pay dre…….pay dre…….pay dre
pay dre……….pay dre.pay dre
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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!!!!!!!!!
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Bring the Ring to LA in 2009!!!!!
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It is a beautiful day again. Enjoy everybody…. 🙂
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Alright one more time: COME BACK MANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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GO ANDRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LETS GO ANDRE, LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LETS GO ANDRE, LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LETS GO ANDRE, LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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GO 2009 DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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PAY ANDRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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SIGN MANNY YOU FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dish – Josh’s statement, “We had our best season on the field in 20 years,” and my statement, “that was not the best team the Dodgers have fielded in the last 20 years. The Dodgers won a World Championship in 1988”, which was twenty years ago, as you stated. Unless my understanding of grammar is incorrect, saying best season in twenty years would include 1988 to 2008, correct? If so, that comment is factually incorrect, is it not?
Good Morning ITD readers and writers!!!
8 days and 4 hours until our first Spring Training game – can’t wait!!!!!! In the meantime, best of luck to you Andre in your hearing today if it’s needed. Your fans are behind you in whatever happens.
It’s a beautiful day here in the Southern Californian desert compared to yesterday. We are eventually heading back home today to the Central Valley.
Good Morning Dodger4life – How are we doing this morning?
dishguy – No worries ~ once the games begin, it’s all about Dodger blue and winning. I am not going to say all negativity goes away, but it’s mostly based on the decisions made on the field versus the front office.
nellyjine is right about the negativity. As soon as the boys in blue are on the field, we will all be cheering for them. However, I still think we could have done a better job of getting the right players and treating the fans with a little more respect.
cy ~ Counting the 1988 season there have been 21 seasons through the 2008 season. Starting with the 1989 season the 2008 season was the 20th season…therefore Josh’s math was correct. Just count starting with 1989.
Nelly ~ I hope so…I want a place to be happy in, not depressed. Baseball is a place of great joy for me.
On paper, the starting 8 are weaker than what we put out there last season at the beginning of the year. The pitching staff is much weaker looking, again on paper, than what we started with last season. For a team that was 3 games away from the pennant, that’s not a good job by the front office to put together a winner as they claim they want to do every year. If they want to rebuild, then call it what it is. This is one of the problems I have with Frank ‘n’ Furter. They say one thing, but their actions say another.
Now Frank and Ned have put all of their eggs in the Manny basket and Boras knows it. Right or wrong Ned didn’t pursue other avenues (Dunn, Abreu, Griffey, Anderson, Burrell) and so they’ll end up living with an overpriced Manny, or dying with Pierre. Unfortunately it appears that both the young guns and the coaching staff are convinced that its Manny that makes them go, so psychologically they’ve already one foot in the grave if Manny doesn’t sign, and the rest of the season becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Pitching staff-wise reality from paper’s a little different. Penny/Lowe/Billz/Kuroda and Loaiza were statistically better coming into last season than Billz/Kuroda/Wolf/Kersh and Schmidt or Vargas. But Penny blew up, Loaiza was his usual horrible, and Kuroda was so-so. Billz and Lowe had solid years. I expect Billz to repeat, Wolf to take up some of Lowe’s slack, Kersh to progress quite a bit, Kuroda to better his last season, and no one can do worse than Bloaiza.
The pen’s young, but capable considering they’ve the same three that brought them down the home stretch last year – Wade, Kuo and Brox. Mota’s = Proctor. McDonald could easily = Saito. Elbert or Stults = Beimel. Dennis Weaver or Milton the Toaster might take Park’s spot, which in my opinion is the hardest to fill given the names available.
The West as a whole is weaker hitting, maybe a little stronger pitching this year. The right breaks, this team could finish first. They talk themselves out of it, they could also finish fourth.
bpb ~ very good assessment!
Good Morning bpb!!! Are you having and “enchanted” morning? Nice points as always.
Once the season starts, it’s all about proving management wrong, and I think the young guns are going to have an awesome season, and I agree, if they believe in themselves, then they can carry the team (Manny or not) into another western division title. I always think of that one series in Houston where it was just the young guns and Jeff Kent out there, and they did fabulous during those weeks during that series and then some after. I think pitching is the key, but they are also the unknown. We don’t know what will happen with Kershaw this year and the rest of the young pitchers. Maybe there is the next Linsecum out there who will light it up and be the surprise of the season. I feel if Billz and Kuroda come out like we know they can, then anything is possible with the rest of them.
Take care ITD readers and writers. I am leaving to go back up north to the central valley. Have a wonderful day, and I will catch up to you later this evening.
GO DODGERS!!!
~DODGER BLUE THRU AND THRU~
****ETHIERAHOLIC FOREVER****
Best Wishes Andre in your hearing today 🙂
red pen – “an enchanted” not “and enchanted” maybe I just had the need to writed enchanted a couple more times – LOL!!!!!
Okay – red pen again “write” instead of “writed”……I know, I know…proofread first.
Go Dre!, Go DODGERS!!! Can’t wait for the season to begin!
Obi!! Any Juan Pierre thought bubbles???
I still think our LFer is on a different roster if Manny does not sign. As the economy and ticket sales worsen, especially for teams that start out slowly, there are going to be some really good players available. And I read somewhere, on espn.com I think, that those players will be had for a salary dump and a low level prospect rather than high level prospect(s) like in the past. Many teams will be so desperate to dump salaries. Remember a lot of owners have lost a huge portion of their net worth during this horrible economic slide.
I think we have a good chance to win the division, but will have a difficult time in the playoffs unless we pick up an ace during the season. I agree with Frank/Ned not to trade our young core for pitching (Peavy) or giving huge long term salaries for the FA pitchers that were available. But we are a year or two away from having a dominating staff without some huge pickups.
Gooooood morning, ITD!!!
It’s just me thinking, but if there’s negative stuff, people are unhappy. Personally, the McCourts have made me unhappy since it was announced they were trying to buy the Dodgers without any money and nothing has yet changed my mind. Lord, how I wish Peter still owned the team. Oh well, he doesn’t and they do and we all have to live with it, like it or not. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
My day will be made if Andre wins the decision. In there were any justice, his people would be able to use his off-the-field work as well as the “team-player” evidence that we’ve discussed here so often to help swing the pendulum. But I doubt that kind of thinking isn’t allowed in the process. It makes too much sense.
Meanwhile: they’re still thinking of the O-Dog:
http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/hot_stove/posts/50881-dodgers-still-considering-orlando-hudson
Ethier and the Dodgers have settled.
3.1 million with incentives.
http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2009/02/dodgers-settle-with-ethier.html
Congratulations Andre
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Congratulation Dodgers
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So far most all transactions have been last minute deals. I am guessing Manny and Boras can see a pattern here.
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Good Job!!!!!
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Now lets add Manny!!!!!
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GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Bring ther Ring to L.A.in 2009!!!!!!
Thanks Alex!
Whew………
Dish – the problem I see with the salary dump players is that Frank won’t take on those kinds of guys. He didn’t last year when the economy was still OK. We ended up giving away what should’ve been our everyday 3B, a promising young reliever, and a catcher that is now the #1 prospect for Cleveland, the latter two so that Frank wouldn’t have to pay $2M to Blake. If that’s Ned’s “fluid roster” plan, he’ll empty the rest of the minors trying to acquire rentals for no money.
IMO, no one will take on JP because he just isn’t a very good everyday kind of ballplayer. His skillset is so narrow in scope, you’d have to value speed above all else to even make his acquisition halfway attractive. His D is virtually nonexistant other than running down a few fly balls, and once he gets there he can’t do anything with it. His OBP is atrocious, and he has no power to help make up for it. He’s Herb Washington with a bat… A very weak little bat.
This is why its become almost imperative that they sign Manny, and Boras knows it. Two weeks of ST watching JP in left will be all it will take for NedCo to cave in and give Manny 4 years. Any line-up with JP in it will be immediately improved with him out of it, no matter what name you plug in.
It’s now on the homepage:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090217&content_id=3839336&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
bpb, if we don’t sign Manny I’d hope for a Jones-style release of Pierre and go with DY/Repko/anyonebutjuanpy left field. I’d rather live with that than risk blocking Lambo with a 4-year deal. Unless we have an out after 2.
Good afternoon ITD, it was great getting to meet, Nelly, Trublu (psss she looks like Mickey Mouse), Dodger4life on Facebook and I plan on adding more of the ITD family as friends…Jungar you have not added me yet…I will haunt you until you do!!! I will start writing Pro Juan Pierre Blogs until you add me as your friend!!!
Dishguy, I know what you mean. Last year I spent alot of the offseason protecting Torre and Pierre, because I like you want to have everything positive…As you get to know everyone on here, this is what makes ITD great, is that you are going to get alot of different view points and not all will be positive, but the underlying theme is that everyone on here are passionate about the Dodgers!!!!
So, do not take everything as a big negative but rather as a way that they can vent how they feel the management is not handling the situations as they see fit…YOu may not agree, and you very eloquently state your points, but it is their opinion and you will grow to love everyone on here…
Nelly, this Andre dude did ok eh?
ramslover ~ I can tell everyone on here are wonderful people.
What a surprise Trump Casinos filing Chapter 11 for the 3rd time….
By the way have we gotten rid of Pierre yet…
Tru..my 72 hours is almost up…Come on Manny sign!!!!!
Jungar, amazing how the Pierre threat got you to add me…that is funny!!! Have a great day!
dish, not everyone….. 🙂 We have a few idiots who stop by from time to time. But, as someone remarked a couple of days ago, if they resort to namecalling you’ll be very gratified by all the support around here.
Definitely Eric. Don’t get me wrong, Manny 2 years max. I’m just afraid Ned caves in once they see JP in left again (or heaven forbid, center.) I really don’t even care if its Manny, just ANYONE but Pierre.
Two things are certain as of right now.
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1. JoJo will play JP in left period over Repko, DY and Paul.
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2. JP will play like JP.
Honestly though, ANYONE taking JP’s place makes the line-up better:
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Furcal – JP – Ethier – Blake – Loney – Kemp – Martin – DeWitt
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Furcal – Ethier – Kemp – Blake – Loney – Martin – DeWitt – Xavier Paul
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Even Paul who’s never had a ML AB makes it a more potent line-up. Plug in anyone you want – Paul, DY, Repko, Lambo… literally anyone. Doesn’t matter where you try and hide JP in the order either 8, 9, doesn’t matter.
Add all JPs shortcomings up and put a huge pricetag on it and he’s totally untradeable.
Whoa, how’s that fresh air??? LOL!!
Well as far as on the field…
Rotation…I like the rotation of
1.Billz..a real ace in the making. Lowe was not one, very consistent but not an ace and Penny was a moron…17-20 wins..also earn the players respect and protect them knoick someone down if they go after Manny..Russ, Andre, matt..etc..
2. Kuroda..if healthy will be better this year..15-18 wins
3. Wolf, will win 14-16 games is my guess…he should be stronger year 3 out of shoulder surgery.
4. Kershaw..just trust your stuff young man and do not overthrow (same for Billz)…12-15 wins
5. Schmidt..never have been a big fan , but it would be nice to get one solid year from him..if he is 80-90% of his old self he would be a solid number 5..but realistically probably not..
5a…Elbert..would love to see him take over the 5 spot by June…Let him work out of the BP ala Hershiser, Welch, Valenzuela did when they first came up, it worked out pretty well…
5b…Mcdonald…very impressive in the playoffs..I would do the same as Elbert..BP…then spot start..
BP..I am not worried about Broxton…he may struggle a little but he has dominating stuff and as long as Joe (Big if) uses him correctly and keeps him fresh he will be a very good closer…Saito spoiled us..
Wade, Elbert, Mota, very solid…Weaver I always thought was nasty for short periods so the BP may be ok and he is in great shape and he is still young…Wildcard…
Beimel, was good but not spectacular…always seemed to have runners on and allow inherited runners to score…we may still be able to get him on the cheap…
Enchanted is back…Yeah!!!! I like Paul…in the 3 games I saw in ST last year the little guy rips the ball….gap power and good speed…I do not know if he will ever get a chance to contribute…sometimes I wish the NL had the DH…
Its spring, what can I say? Avoiding arbitration with Ethier gave me an iota of hope.
The bag’s still handy though.
As far as the BP, I would not mind seeing them sign Jason Izrah..forget trying to spell…he pitched for the Cardinals…former closer to help Broxton develop…supposedly he is healthy again..
Alex Rodriguez was “naive” and only injected an OTC “energy boost.”
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Selig doesn’t want any blame upon himself for the steroid era.
Nice to see its the SOS. What must it be like to be a man and own-up to your actions. Does anyone blieve the crap spewn forth by either one of these… gentlemen?
Booooo………………To the people counceling A – Rod. Let’s quit sifting through this steroids thing, like a bunch of lawyers and fix it and move on!!!
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GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Bring the Ring to L.A. in 2009!!!!!!!!
enchanted ~ welcome back! I hope in the next day or so, we can make sure your paper bag stays in retirement.
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I am so pleased management avoided arbitration with Andre. One hurdle down, one more to go……sign Manny! We have to fullfill ramslover’s prediction!
Afternoon ITD boys & girls!
Enchanted! Glad to read you back with your original name! I love that name!
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Weather says sunny tomorrow!! Woohoo!!
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I forgot my phasebook password but you can see pic of me at
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com
Manny Ramirez’s ‘Bible Verse of the Day’ (dedicated to Juan Pierre)
” So the last shall be first, and the first last for many be called, but few chosen.” – Matthew 20:16 –
I’m glad that the Dodgers and Andre reached a last second agreement before the hearing, BUT SHAME ON YOU Ned for letting it go that far. After wasting millions of dollars on ridiculous past contracts, how could you put someone like Andre through the wringer? He was treated so poorly by management in the past, yet he hung in there and outperformed the many poor management choices. Now when you could have rewarded him and shown your appreciation for his kind of character, he was again treated very shabbily. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON YOU!
I do applaud most of Ned’s other actions/non-actions this year, however. The releasing of Jones, the financial restraints, the standing firm against Boras, etc. I do agree it would be nice to have Manny back, but not at the dollars and contract length that he is seeking. I hope that Ned doesn’t panic in the end and cave in on Manny. I wouldn’t go more than one year with a team option second year, and with the current economic situation and player market, $25 million seems too high to me as well. Just the fact that no other team has made an offer or signed him should be a huge red flag for anything extravagant here. All those other teams are not stupid, so I hope Ned can read the tea leaves and do the right thing.
“Many were cold, but few were frozen”
George Donner
Well, it’s nice to see that the Dodgers and Andre settled. Now, if I could just figure out how to count seasons correctly, everything might be okay:)
To address the negativity comment: I don’t know if anyone has realized this yet or not, but I generally do not hammer on the product on the field too much. I realize the players the team has are the players that the have and the coaching staff tries to do what is best with those resources. I may not always agree how those resources are used (Jones and Pierre getting PT last year), but it tends to work itself out by season’s end.
However, I will continue to pound on the business operations of the team until I believe that things improve. Just because Frank walked into a good baseball situation and the team has made the playoffs 3 out of 5 years doesn’t mean he makes good business decisions, especially where the fans are concerned. Parking going up in price while simultaneously adding more spots? Having to redo the baseline seating after the first year because the original setup was so poorly engineered (don’t think we as customers still aren’t paying for that one)? Raising tickets prices at least 25% since he bought the team? I’m not saying Frank doesn’t have the right as an owner to do whatever he wants with the team, but for him to talk about the uniqueness and specialness of the Dodgers while using excuses like every other team is doing it so why shouldn’t I does not fly with me (or other posters on this board either from what I gather). I apologize if I do not always have the Polyanna view on things, but as Reggie Smith told me at a meet and greet a couple years ago, paraphrasing, “It still might say Dodgers on the uniform, but the McCourt Dodgers do not resemble the organization that I grew to love.”
Good afternoon ITD
It’s too bad that Andre’s contract could not be settled before this. Andre being Andre will go on and play his heart out anyway. Everytime I have spoken to him, I have truly been impressed with his maturity. He will show the management that he is worth every penny. Besides that, through all his charitable works he has shown that he is a wonderful person as well.
Hi trublu, crz, Nelly june, Dodger4life, Dodgereric, enchanted, Dodger faithful. All that is left is to sign Manny and win some games. I think that our potpourri of pitchers may turn out to be fantastic. Last season it seemed that although many were on DL, they triumphed anyway. Look for Kuroda to break out as the ace. Unfortunately with Saito gone, no one speaks Japanese anymore. He is alone except for his interpreter. Maybe I should work on my Japanese. I expect MacDonald to break out huge.
I signed up on Facebook and used my favorite picture of myself which so happens to have Russell next to me!!! So trublu why do you look so much like Mickey Mouse??
heartruss ~ just saw you on Facebook and suggested some friends for you………..all ITDers of course!
LETS GO DODGERS, LETS GO!!!!
LETS GO DODGERS, LETS GO!!!!
LETS GO DODGERS, LETS GO!!!!
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Enchanted I see you put the bag up for now. Nice to have you back 🙂
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All we need now is Manny,( Yes I still have faith ) and the unknowndodgerfan to reveal his true identity 🙂
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I dont have the answers to when either of those things will happen 🙂
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GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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OH HAPPY DAY !!!!!! I’M HAPPY FOR THE ETHIER FAMILY!!!
Heres to Andre and also to enchanteds return 🙂
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Sammy Hagar ~ Mas Tequila….
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY2-u6GYats&feature=related
8 days!
Good evening ITD’ers!
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I hope everyone is well.
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Dishguy if I haven’t said welcome,… Welcome!
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There was some pretty good conversation going back & forth the other day regarding the McCourts and both sides of the “aisle” so to speak made good points.
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I’ve been a McCourt supporter and given them a chance. In the last few months though I have been increasingly on the negative side. Not because they won’t spend $$$ on Free Agents (Because I don’t want them to spend bucks on a bunch of PVL’ers). But because they say things like; the economy is tough and so to spend $$$ on Free Agents (Who aren’t really Free!) isn’t a good idea with people having a tough time making it; & then buy 2 houses in Malibu for $48 million.
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Or saying they are moving the ST headquarters west so fans can get better access to the team only to jack up the prices for the seats. They are saving tons of $$$ not having players & staff fly to/from Florida.
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It’s things like that that annoy me. They bought the team. They own it. If I buy a car, I own it. So I don’t want people telling me what to do. But if I don’t get new tires when they go bald and my passengers get upset at me for not maintaining my car I guess they have that right. But they also have the right not to ride with me. That’s probably not a good analogy but I hope the point is understood.
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That is a couple of reasons why many here are tired of them.
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Now I do feel that having ST in Arizona is a win/win situation for the players, organization, and fans.
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The players, coaches, and staff will be improved because they will spend less time traveling and more time on the field or training or working on improving their skills. Remember Kent got injured last year in ST and it worsened during a bus ride to an away game. This should also benefit us fans because hopefully the team will be better rested when the season starts and play better during the year.
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I went to Vero last year and loved it. It was the only time I’ve gone and did it last year because there would never be another chance to.
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But I’ve been to ST in Arizona about 5-6 times in the past and it is awesome. There are many teams in the area & the drives are short to away teams so you can go to games every day. Now I stayed in Scottsdale because the friends I went with were Giants fans and a friend of ours works in their front office. So we played in Scottsdale for most of the time. But we would go out and see many players, coaches, staff, and whatnot at dinner, shopping, dessert, all over. Not just Giants but from all the teams in the area. It was fun. Most everyone that is down there is there for ST & it made it an extremely fun & relaxing atmosphere.
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I think in time McCourt Ranch will become a tradition & our kids will look back on the place the way many of us look back at Vero.
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Now I also look at the McCourts and feel that yes they do like the limelight for their good deeds, but as I looked at the photos on the website it is nice to see them making a difference in the community with their ownership. I can take them posing for photos as long as they are making a difference in people’s lives. I also feel that it is somewhat genuine.
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I don’t think all rich owners do that. While Mark Cuban & the Maloof’s are given praise for what they do with their teams, I don’t see them doing much charity work. I could be mistaken but I see them doing tons of playing as well.
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Once again I went a little long but…
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I’m pumped as one of the Ethieraholics to have Dre officially in the fold. I do wish they could of done it sooner and for a longer term deal. But I’m glad they got it done and can focus on playing ball!
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Go Blue!!!
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Bring the Ring in 2009!!!
dcollins ~ new thread!