The offseason is officially here…
The parade up north is over, which means baseball season is finally done. Certainly not the way any of us had mapped it out, but what’s in the past is now behind us and it’s time to start looking forward again.
I just spent a couple days in Arizona with Don Mattingly at the Arizona Fall League and his energy and excitement for the upcoming season is palpable. You can see a genuine hunger for what he’s trying to accomplish out there and how our team will go about playing the game in 2011.
For those who have never seen the Fall League, it’s a very cool but strange way to watch games…most of the top prospects in the game and yet the stadiums are mostly empty, there’s very little cheering, and most of the people in the stands work for one of the 30 teams.
But it’s real baseball and legit players. I got to see Link and Elbert both pitch very well, plus about eight ABs each from Trayvon Robinson, Ivan DeJesus and Jerry Sands. If you live in Arizona, make sure to stop over there. Amazingly, last year’s Fall League had guys like Buster Posey, Jayson Heyward and Stephen Strasburg playing, among others who are already in the bigs.
We’ll do our best here at Inside the Dodgers to start posting more often. It’s just not much fun to post while other teams are playing in the playoffs, but there’s usually some sort of interesting thing to pass along and we’ll do our best to put it here.
In the meantime, go ahead and put down your wish list for the Dodgers’ offseason in the comments section…obviously Lilly is already locked up, but it’ll be cool to look back in a year and see if the players you thought we should get (or get rid of) turned out the way you had hoped. If I think back to last offseason, most of the guys whose names were bandied about did not exactly turn out to be huge performers, but that’s the fun of the Hot Stove League.
Inside the Dodgers 
My wish Josh is that they’d fix this blog of its submission errors, time warps and explorer cannot open this page.
Ron Roenicke, yet another ex-Dodger player and minor league manager, gets his shot to manage in the bigs with Milwaukee.
I’m sure we’ll do fine though with Little Joe Two-Trips.
My wish list: PITCHING and a BIG BAT (not Pathednick). Of course, this is probably out of the realm of possibility. SO, I HOPE AND PRAY THAT MCCOURT IS FORCED TO SELL THEM TEAM!
Oh, the irony. While the hated ones from up the 101 freeway celebrate a World Series victory, Dodger fans get to read really exciting stuff about who might be on the coaching staff, including the idea that the team needs multiple hitting instructors.
And while I usually can find humor in just about anything, there is nothing funny at all about “Pierre, The Sequel” coming anytime soon to Dodger Stadium, except of course the title which is funny.
Time check – 5:08 pm (PST)
So, ITDFST (Inside the Dodgers Future Standard Time) is an hour and 29 minutes of ahead of Pacific Standard Time. Just checking………………. I really do think this is one of the major reasons for the submission errors because both, submission errors and the time warping started happening at the same time.
Wish List – pitching, pitching and more pitching. We have been asking for it ever since I have been reading this blog, and we really haven’t gotten that wish yet.
…….and of course, Frank selling the team would be a wish come true as well 🙂
Beltre, Lee, Cameron, Martinez. Just them.
That Belisario shows up to spring training, not only on time but in the best frame of mind, his young life has ever known.
I would sign ZERO free agents, and hope/pray/wish that the young players would get some nad, step up, and perform like champions: Kershaw, Billingsley, Broxton, Jansen, Paul, Loney, Ethier, Kemp, Elbert, and whoever else has the desire and grit to make a difference in his own life and the lives of LA Dodger fans everywhere.
I wish we’d get a GM that actually knows what this team needs and goes out and gets it rather than bringing in band aids and garbage like Ned does. Then I wish that Jamie wins and it forces Frank to sell to someone that can afford to run the team like the big market franchise that it is, and puts money back into the team rather than raping it so he can continue his lifestyle without using or having his own money. Then I wish that the McCourts are indicted for tax evasion and misuse of charity funds. Those are my off season wish lists.
Josh, the stadiums are empty and little cheering in the Arizona fall league, Mattingly should feel right at home there, it’s just like the Dodgers this past year.
I have to apologize for my negativity to all the inside the Dodger people. Here is what I’d really do if I were GM. First I would walk up to Frank, and kick him in the nuts, then I would quit. Now assuming we had a decent human being as the owner, and not a low life. I’d try and bring Beltre home and put him back at 3rd, then I’d sign Dunn and play him at first. Loney I would try in left, he couldn’t be any worse than Manny was out there. Then I would sign Kuroda for 2 years if he would sign. The other thing I would do is try to trade Broxton for a young set up pitcher, and let Jansen close. Broxton has fear on his face whenever he gets into a pressure situation, this is not good for a closer or set up guy. He has a good arm, but his problem is higher up. Just my 2 cents.
?I think there?ll be more aggressive behavior,? said agent Scott Boras, who represents Beltre and fellow free agent Jayson Werth. ?I would say as many as eight to 10 teams are unhappy with what happened to their teams for a variety of reasons. And I believe there are a number of fan bases that expect a great deal more out of their franchises than has been given to date.?
Translation: I like money…lot’s of it…and there will always be suckers who’ll pay up.
Josh – I really wish I didn’t have to look at this Giants World Series Champions banner that just walked in my door with my son. Good Lord this is nauseating, but I am being a good Dodger fan and keeping my cool.
Kahli – I would love to take a chance on what we have. It can’t be any worse than what Ned might stick us with instead.
Dodger32 – like lbirken, it is always good to read your two cents.
JOSH*****
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This question has been brought up before……
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How come you reprimand the commenters here on ITD, for using inappropriate launguage, ( not saying, I disagree ) yet link this blog to the Dodgers site on FB, where inappropraite lauguage is not sensored, and highly in abundance, yet tolerated???
Dodger4life – it has been awful to read lately. Even messagebear’s comments are light weight compared to many of those comments and without it being censored at all.
Yes Nelly I agree, I ask because my children, and thier many friends have FB accounts and this is not something, I care to subject them too. Especially being linked to Our Beloved Dodgers.
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Thanks for correcting my spelling ( censored ) looks much better.
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Darn spell check!!!
What’s UP ITD’rs!
Thanks for the new post Josh!
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A LITTLE ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE OFF-SEASON!
I was watching the news this morning and of course they mentioned how this World Series had the lowest viewers ever. DUH! If they want viewers throw the Yankees vs. Dodgers in a World Series. This will be classic and the Nation will watch. Well one of the biggest problems baseball have with having viewers watch the World Series is FOOTBALL. And this time the whole drama with Football blockings & hits are getting to dangerous and all players were getting hurt, just got way more attention than the World Series. Solution to the problem (and of course this is what I think) All major sports Football, Basketball, Hockey & Baseball need to communicate & coordinate schedules. Well regular season games are fine but Playoffs and major events need special attention. That means no other sport may have a game during a playoff game. Respect for other sports! Games may continue as is once every household in America have a gameroom or mancave with multiple televisions allowing multiple sports viewing and enjoyment….even golf!
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Rosie
Love this headline on the D’s homepage:
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Dodgers looking to add run producer to offense
So what’s Ned’s first move? Why pick-up his end of the option on an aged banjo hitting speedy LFer that oh, has a knee injury so that the only tool the guy has is gone.
In his tenure, Ned’s signed worthless FAs, recycled more useless garbage than landfill, and totally cleaned out the farm (which is probably what he’s best at doing – shoveling shat.)
Hello there all. I hope you are all well as you read this. I haven’t posted for awhile as I’ve been busy with family and work.
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Nelly my 😦 was due to what I was reading and my general feeling of living here in Giant country. It’s been pretty brutal. It wasn’t for personal stuff.
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You know how Giants fans are. In the last few years when the Dodgers were winning I didn’t rub it in or anything & now all this people continue to pop off. All through September and especially now. It seems as if everyone here is all of a sudden a fan and wants to pop off about it. Funny thing is it seems with a few of the fans that are real fans that all year, I’ve talked to daily about every game the night before they are the ones that we shake hands and still talk about it and they aren’t gloating and keep popping off.
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Funny thing happened yesterday at work though. There is this one guy who is an older dude who is a very unique character. One of those people who make you laugh without trying to. Well he knows I love baseball because Frodo, uh I mean Lincecum and Zito come in there from time to time to get coffee and someone told him he needs to call me when they do because I love baseball so much.
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So he is always asking me about the games, etc. He doesn’t really like any one team but always asks. People are always giving me grief and he is there and hears them and laughs that they always pop off.
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He kept telling me don’t worry the Giants won’t win — they never do. They will get close and then rip everybody’s heart out. I kept telling him I thought they would because of their pitching. So yesterday I saw him for the 1st time in a couple of days and he goes “Well I guess they did it.”. I told him yup and I guess he sensed my annoyance and said it’s ok. The Dodgers have such better history. How many times have the Dodgers won in LA and haow many have the Giants won in SF? Then he says see — even a blind dog can find a bone once! I just started busting up.
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So now when people get in my face I’m going to mention the blind dog.
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I also still feel that the worst day being a Dodger fan is better than the best day being a Giants fan! I do think yesterday was the low point for this Dodger fan.
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Oh & Josh thanks for the new thread.
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D4 — Nice to see you & I agree. Someone should be checking the FB page and deleting those posts. I’m okay with it happening here if we get out of line. But I think way more kids are on FB than here reading our stuff.
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So take care and don’t forget… even a blingddog…
Collie – That is good to know the 😦 was for the gnats, but I know work has been hard on you too, and with the holidays coming up, it sure isn’t going to get easier.
I agree with you Collie………..yesterday was really hard, especially after Michael came home last night from the parade and seeing the banner. I have been sticking to ITD more than FB lately due to the fact I am tired of seeing all the gnats crap stuffed in my face. Family or not, I am tired of hearing about it, especially from the bangwagoners. And you are right, I have heard less from the “real” fans than I have from the bandwagoners. The real fans don’t need to say anything because they do know the feelings “a real fan” goes through, and we talk about it almost everyday.
That is a good story about the blind dog.
Pathednick turned down the Dodgers’ offer 🙂
Good to see you, Collie.
Collie,
Just remember what happened to the Giants rarely ever happens so this is the one time to gloat. Who knows when they will get it again. So they have to enjoy it while it last!
Well I haven’t looked at all the free agents yet but my wish list other than the obvious of ridding the Dodgers of Framie, Ned, Honeycutt, and Conte… would be…
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#1 is pitching. All the teams that made the playoffs did so because of pitching. The times have changed for the most part with PED testing & seeing the Giants win the way they did is an example. Great starting pitching and a great pen to shut people out. If they got to the 7th inning with a lead it was pretty much over. It would be nice if our pen could do that.
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Rafael Soriano would be the 1st one I would target. We all know the bully cost us many games last year and I would rebuild the pen backwards. Soriano would close with Brox setting up. Jensen along with Kuo could be the 7th inning guys when needed. All 3 of those guys could close if one was used a few days in a row. That to me would be a huge pickup that would really stabilize the pen. If it didn’t happen then my backup plan would be Joaquin Benoit as another arm for then pen. Then I would do the following… Texas made it to the Series with a rookie closer. Brox I think is great as a set up guy. So I would have Brox and Benoit set up and Jensen close.
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Next I would sign both Ortiz again. Sorry… I’m just making sure your paying attention!! Of course I would check in with Lee and make a run at him and try to sell him on other things other than $$$ from the team. Endorsement $$$ nice place to live, etc… That probably wouldn’t work but I would at least try. So the other pitcher I would look at is Andy Pettitte. I’ve wanted the Blue to pick him up for a few years but they haven’t. I again would go for him. I think he would be good for the young guns. Then I would also go after Kuroda as well as Chris Young. Young has been injured but I’d give him an incentive laden contract. Which ever 2 of those 4 I could get would fill the rotation with Kersh, Bills, and Lilly.
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Next would be LF, C, 2B,3B.
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Obviously I’d love Crawford. Put him in Center, Dre to LF and Kemp to CF. would be awesome but I doubt that will happen. Werth I also like but I think playing in Philly really helped him and I think he is at the top of his career and will take too much money. So I think if I couldn’t get Crawford then I would go from inside the organization like Jay Gibbons or look for a lower FA such as Ty Wigginton and sign them and spend my money elsewhere such as pitching.
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Then go after Uribe. He could take care of 2B, 3B, and SS. He has some pop and 2 rings in the last 5 years. I would have him at 2nd and then he could spell Raffy and Blake.
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I would also go after V-Mart or John Buck and have Russ back up. Or bye to Russ and have Blanco back up.
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Now I know we couldn’t get all these players but I would have this as a plan with the 1st being pitching and working my way down this list.
RIP Sparky Anderson. I thought he was great and he will be missed.
I knew I didn’t want that trade to go through.
I’m surprise no one didn’t mention that when he was in hospice last night. RIP Sparky Anderson.
http://baseballhall.org/node/11292
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His HOF induction speech.
I think you mean Kemp to RF.
New thread…