Keep your fingers crossed
It’s a busy day today at the doctor’s office, with Dioner Navarro getting an X-ray and CT scan and Bill Mueller getting an MRI on their wounded body parts. Last night was obviously a tough loss, but there still isn’t anyone panicking. I’ve heard a lot of references to the Astros last year, who were reeling in May before turning it up a notch and winning the National League pennant. Stranger things have happened and we all have to remember that right now, we’re only four games out of first place. A good winning streak can turn things around in a hurry.
On nights like last night, I spend way too much time in the GM box with Ned. After Mueller left the game, we had tons of media asking for a medical update and obviously I was trying to get something to Vin Scully, Charley Steiner and Jaime Jarrin as quickly as possible so that they could tell you guys what was going on. Sometimes it’s a quick diagnosis and sometimes it takes a little longer. It certainly doesn’t help when two guys have to be examined at the same time, but so it goes. The way it works is that the medical staff calls up to Ned, who either calls me or sends me a blackberry message with the update. With two guys down, I figured I’d just wait with him in his box to help speed up the process.
Let’s hope today’s update is a good one. But, one thing I can guarantee is that we’re a lot better equipped for injuries like these this year than last. That’s not a knock on anyone, but with our prospects a year closer to the bigs, guys like Russell Martin, Willy Aybar, James Loney and Andre Ethier give us some good options when another guy goes down.
Meanwhile, Odalis is still in the Dominican, so Sunday’s start is up in the air. Most of the speculation is around Aaron Sele or Chad Billingsley and as soon as I hear something, I’ll let you all know.
JR
Inside the Dodgers 
Interesting. I didn’t even know PR had anything to do with getting the injury reports to the reporters, but that makes perfect sesne. Keep these insights coming. Also, that’s good spin with the Astros comparison, but I’m not buying it. We don’t have a Clemens or a Pettite. Right now, my season tickets aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.
Please help me out I’m just a fan with very little baseball knowledge. After that great game Ross had at Pittsburg, “What a performance” he brought much excitement to my house when he hit the Grand Slam and then followed with another homer- (what a great day for TV) We were all excited and gathered around the TV to watch Cody Ross when the Dodgers came home. After that heroic performance he was brought back to LA not to show off to the fans but to be put on the bench-then to be traded.
Jason Repko- when he plays he performs and he is exciting to watch on the bases. He is still hitting over 300 but thats not good enough because this management that the Dodgers have brings up Either to play for Repko.
Now please explain to me why these two great baseball players were and is shuned by the Dodgers? What a great combination Ross & Repko- What a missed oppertunity for LA- Who’s respondsible for this tragic episode in Dodger history. How do you explain to your children “what happened to Cody Ross”
Dennis,
I can understand how kids have a tough time understanding the business side of the game, but in Cody’s case, he was a victim of a numbers game. We have several more established players who have long histories of success, and even though he did have a great game, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be better than Kenny Lofton or J.D. Drew or Jose Cruz, who are all bonafide big leaguers. The way baseball works, players only have three “options,” which means we can only send them to the minors three times before they have to be run through the waiver system. That allows other teams to take your players away and this is done so that one team doesn’t horde all the prospects in the game. In Cody’s case, it was very tough to see him go, but he gets another good opportunity elsewhere. Unfortunately, he recently landed on the disabled list with the Reds.
Well Dodger as far as Ross is concerned he had a great game but he is certainly not the best prospect in the outfield in the organization and by the rules of baseball the dodgers had to keep him on the roster or lose him and with 6 outfielders on the team at the time, management had no flexibility when an infielder got injured.
as for repko, you are right. he should be starting.
I have to say, my vote would have been to let Lofton go instead of Ross. On paper Lofton makes sense and I know Lofton is good, especially in the top of the order and on the bases. But he’s past his prime at 38, and on a short contract. Ross was the future in a system that is converting people into outfielders !!! As far as Repko is concerned I think he easly replaces Lofton in every catagory. As a business decision I think the Dodger fans would have embraced Ross for the long term, like that of Eric Gagne and the Dodgers kids of past. For my family ( and our season tickets ) this one ranks right up there with the Piazza trade.
On a separate note I have to say that Charlie Steiner stinks as a Dodger announcer !! And I for one turn off the radio and turn down the TV when he’s anouncing. I’d rather listen to the opposing teams broadcast on the internet then listen to his #%$@ !! Sorry Mr. McCourt I’m just telling you how a 52 year old die hard season ticket holding Dodger Fan feels !!
hey, as a 50 yr old dodger fan in philly, who only watches the game on the mlb package on cable tv, i can much easier take steiner
over vin scully.
i know he is sacred to us all, but my gosh, the man never, ever comes up for air. i think he would still be a perfect play by play man, but needs someone in the booth to acutally
discuss the game and not the constant minutia of every players career.
anyway, yes, play repko more and lofton /
ethier less…and heaven help us, if they
are teetering around 10 games under .500
in another month, it might be time to bring up all the young guns.
I think what’s hurting the Dodgers is their great farm system. Everybody says they’re so great that no GM will trade any of them for big league talent. I wouldn’t have minded getting Carlos Delgado for some prospects. The ones I’ve seen so far have a long way to go to be better than someone like Delgado. After all they’re just prospects, the major league team comes first. What good is having a great farm system if your big league team stinks!
I have been a dodger fan since 1959 and have to admit that so far this year is the
the hardest year to be a fan. I follow the games on my computer from Madras, Oregon. I use Baseball America to follow the minors. We are so close to the future with our young guys, and I know they can use the time in triple A
bit every move Little makes blows up on us. I too would have kept Ross, and played Repko more, using Cruz and lofton isn’t working. How much further do we fall behind in a weak divison
I wish I had better answers for our pitching problems.
I know one answer is not to trade any of our top 10 or so players, but little by little bring them up and let us see the future, it would be eaiser to take losing with the kids that watch most of these veterns stink it up every night.
Lets not go too crazy with the talk about Ross. Comparing his loss to Piazza is an incredible stretch. When Piazza left the Dodgers he was the best catcher in baseball and a top 3 MVP candidate. When Ross left the Dodgers he was a career minor leaguer who couldn’t even stick with the Tigers. I enjoyed his success as much as anyone but fact is he was a career .270 hitter who managed to hit more than 20 HR only once in his 7 minor league seasons. He also showed very little plate discipline managing to draw 50 or more walks only once in the same 7 year span. He posted quality numbers this year…. In 14 AB’s.. I’ll stick with the 7 year sample size over the 7 game one if thats okay…
Anyone who would think for a minute that Vin Sully is anything less then the best in Baseball isn’t living in reality. You don’t have to take my word for it, just take the rest of your lifetime and add up his ever growing number of awards !!! Steiner will never make it as a Dodger, but you can have him in Philly !! I’ll trade you Steiner for a hoggie !!
Your sample size analogy is interesting and if you want to live by stats your right. But what the Dodgers and most every other club have learned over the years is that a veteren on the down slope has the highest level of risk for failure then a young hungry rookie. And although Ross doesn’t have the history Piazza had at his departure, lets not forget that Lasorda had to beg the Dodgers to take him so far down in the draft that he wasn’t even on the radar. My comparision was Ross’s desire to succeed !! I saw it in Piazza and I saw it again in Ross in Vero Beach. In my humble opinion Ross is a Piazza in the rough !! And I think we’ll be seeing him do some great things with some other ball club !!
Carlos delgado is way over rated…why trade our prospects for him…with that line of thinking maybe we can get Beltre back to.
Delgado may be over rated, but he has proved he can hit major league pitching. What does he have 10 or 11 homeruns already. All I’m saying is that prospects are just that, until they prove themselves over time. The Yankees and Red Sox don’t have the best farm system but they’re always near the top of the standings because they get what they need NOW.