Tagged: Dodgers

The Manny Dilemma

When Manny Ramirez was a member of the Red Sox, he caused fans a lot of headaches. Now, as a member of the Dodgers, he’s still causing Sox fans headaches.

Ramirez returns to Fenway Park as a member of the Dodgers this weekend. And, as was often the case each season of his Red Sox tenure, many fans aren’t sure whether to boo him or cheer him.

During his time in Boston, Ramirez gave us plenty of reasons to loathe him: phantom injuries that wouldn’t show up on tests but would cause him to miss games; not hustling, at times not even running, demanding trades, arguing with teammates and pushing down traveling secretaries, and, most of all, seeming to not care.

Of course, he gave us plenty of reasons to cheer. Along with David Ortiz, he was part of what statistically was the best 3-4 hitting combo since Gehrig and Ruth. AND, he just happened to be the MVP of the first Red Sox World Series in 86 years.

Ultimately, he was the worst kind of baseball player — the kind that quits on his teammates and his fans — and at the same time our Baseball Jesus, saving us from 86 years of torture.

So now, just like years ago, we don’t know whether to boo him or cheer him.

Fans booed Johnny Damon when he came back as a Yankee. But his sins were much less. All he did was go for the money as a free agent, just like 99.9 percent of all other athletes. And just like you’d do in the same situation. This despite all his heroics in the 2004 playoffs.

Johnny shouldn’t have been booed. But to me, Manny and his quiting present and much more difficult case.

Come game time tomorrow, I don’t think Manny should be booed. Face it, without him we don’t win two World Series. And maybe it’s easy now to take those for granted. But for those of us who REALLY remember what it was like before 2004, we’ll never take those for granted.

However, Manny quit, and quit many times on this team. He should never receive a standing ovation in Fenway Park, just like he should never have his number retired.

Just polite applause please, and then cheer for him to quit on the Dodgers.

Ready For October

Dan:

Here it is again: the most wonderful time of the year. October playoff baseball is upon us, and our beloved Sox are back in the mix. We almost take that for granted now. But we shouldn’t.

I don’t know why I have such a bad feeling about this series with the Angels. I shouldn’t. The Sox have the edge in almost every aspect of the game, and they man-handled the Angels last month. Still, it’s almost like the Angels are due, which scares me.

Anyway, here are my playoff picks:

American League:

Red Sox def. Angels – The Angels will run like crazy, but you can’t steal first. The Sox rotation and bullpen are insanely deep, and their bats are stacked. I’d pick the Sox to sweep, but my heart says in four.

Yankees def. Twins – The Twins have a ton of momentum, but they could sure use Justin Morneau right now. They haven’t won a game in New York since July of 2007, which means they could be due. But I think the Yankees are too much and should sweep them.

Red Sox def. Yankees – Of course. The playoffs usually come down to pitching, and the Sox have a deeper rotation and bullpen. I think they win in six.

National League:

Phillies def. Rockies – This is BY FAR the toughest series to call. I went back and forth on this several times. I like the Rockies, and they’ve been so strong in the second half. I also think Ubaldo Jimenez is a great up-and-coming ace. But the Phillies are very well-rounded. Ultimately, I think whoever wins this series wins the National League, and I don’t want to see the Sox and Rockies in the Series again. So I picked the Phils in who knows how many, although I’m leaning toward 4.

Cardinals def. Dodgers – I’m not terribly impressed with either of these teams, and the Dodgers really struggled down the stretch. Cards should win in 4.

Phillies def. Cardinals – I haven’t been a believer in the Cardinals all season, and even though they’ll make it to the NLCS, I still am not a believer. The NL Central was a HORRIBLE division this year. Phils in 5.

WORLD SERIES:

Red Sox def. Phillies – Sure, call me a homer. But the fact is the Sox are the most well-rounded team in baseball. And the National League is the junior division. Sox take it in 5 games.

(MVP – Jason Bay)

2009 Progress Report

Dan:

Early in the season, when teams and players are very hot or very cold, I often say “Wait and see where they are come Memorial Day.” Now here we are, at the end of May, and we can finally take a look at who are real players this year, and who are pretenders. So here are some of my thoughts on the year so far:

–Goodbye, Toronto. Thanks for playing.

–You have to be happy with where the Sox are considering Papi’s woes and that their starting pitching has yet to click.

–I hate to say it, but Papi looks done. Consider that this slump extends well back into last season. This happens a lot in baseball. You just hoped it wouldn’t happen to such a pivotal great in Sox history.

–I don’t know what’s more surprising: That the Devil Rays are four games under .500, or that the Orioles are only four games under .500. Actually, yeah I do. The more surprising one is the Orioles.

–The Tigers are winning the Central. But what’s up with the Indians? They just can’t put it together. Eric Wedge, meet the unemployment line.

–The Rangers are good, but not that good. They benefit from a weak division. And, yeah, I am saying the Angels are weak.

–Stick a fork in Matt Holliday. He’s done.

–Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria would own the title of Team Owner I’d Most Like To Hit With A Shovel . . . if Mark Cuban wasn’t so damn annoying.

–The Cardinals won’t be near the top of their division come September.

–Ha ha ha ha. The Cubs are .500 and more than 4 games out! Ha ha ha ha ha . . .

–The Dodgers own the game’s best record by nearly 6 games . . . and they are probably only about the sixth best team in the game. They should send thank-you notes to all those Four-A teams that make up the rest of their division.

McCourt Being Manny

Dan:

The Boston Globe recently ran this little passage about Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt being miffed at Manny Ramirez:

If Dodgers owner Frank McCourt had his way, he’d kick Manny Ram’rez to the sidewalk, void his contract, and say, “See ya later.” But McCourt doesn’t have that luxury, so he has simply asked Ramirez to do some very basic things to make amends for his embarrassing 50-game suspension. He did address the team, so that’s one off the checklist. But that’s about all he’s done. All Ramirez has to do is show remorse, take batting practice, be a presence in the clubhouse, and continue to help out the young hitters. So what is he doing? He’s staying away. The Dodgers expected Ramirez to come to Los Angeles after he briefly addressed the team in Miami last week. But Ramirez didn’t. It’s another act of defiance – a slap in the face to McCourt, who has been more than generous to Ramirez. Don’t forget, Ramirez had no other offers of substance before McCourt came in to pay him $25 million this season and tacked on an option year for $20 million. In the offseason, Ramirez worked at Athletes Performance Institute, but he did it at the one in Pensacola, Fla. Nobody could figure out why. All the Dodgers want Ramirez to do is come clean about what he did, be a good teammate, and prove to the management and fans that he’s truly sorry. He told the Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers, “I’m not ready.”

Talk about justice being served. McCourt’s ignorance and foolishness are to blame here; not Manny. These antics of Manny are no surprise to any Sox fans who have watched Manny being Manny since 2001. You mean to tell me McCourt, who risked $45 million on this man-child, paid no attention to any of this? And when he was throwing all of that money at Manny, who was he bidding against? The answer: Nobody. McCourt and company didn’t do their homework, botched their negotiations, and now are reaping what they’ve sewn. Just another example of why you should appreciate the good ownerships we have at Fenway and Foxboro.

Manny Thoughts

Dan:

Since Manny’s positive test, all the so-called baseball experts have been climbing over each other to proclaim that they aren’t surprised, that nobody surprises them anymore. That’s convenient — just blanketing everyone means you don’t have to think about it and do any analysis . . . and you’ll always be right whenever someone tests positive. Now if somebody not obvious like an Ichiro or Ken Griffey tests positive, they can smuggly proclaim “I’m not surprised.”

The fact is, Manny’s positive test is somewhat surprising. If you take the time to analyze his numbers, he’s been consistent since the time he came up with the Indians in the early 1990s. Throughout his career, he’s steadily been that .300, 35, 120 hitter. Whereas other steroid suspects saw a dramatic (and suspicious) jump in their numbers — McGwuire, Sosa, Bonds, Brady Anderson, Luis Gonzalez — Manny’s numbers stayed level throughout the Steroid Era. Given the type of hitter he is, one would suspect that he might have jumped to a 60-home-run guy during that time had he been on ‘roids. The only time his production took a dramatic jump was last year.

So what are we to think? Has he been taking them since he came up in the early 1990s and just maintained steady numbers? Or (perhaps more likely) has he started taking them in recent years as his production has started to decline . . . leading to his explosive production with Los Angeles. We’ll probably never know.

Rest Of Dan’s Predictions

Dan:

Alright, with the season almost upon us, it’s time to wrap up this whole prediction business. I’ve already listed my AL East and AL Central picks. I’ve included them in the rest of the picks below, but if you want to find out my well-researched, brilliantly-reasoned reasons for them, you’ll have to go back to the old posts. So, without further ado, I present to you the rest of the case for my baseball genius:

AL East
Red Sox
Yankees
Rays
Blue Jay
Orioles

(see old post for explanation)

AL Central
Tigers
Indians
Royals
Twins
White Sox

(see old post for explanation)

AL West
Angels
Athletics
Rangers
Mariners

This is another division where almost anything can happen. The Angels are not as good as they were last year – lost K-Rod and Teixeira, and the heart of their lineup is getting old. And the rest of the division has gotten better – the A’s added some offense, Rangers finally have some young pitching ready to take the stage, and you have to expect the Mariners’ Erik Bedard will be better this year. Still you have to like the Angels track record, especially in light of the questions surrounding the other teams. Oakland will find out Matt Holliday is overrated away from Coors, and you can’t depend on rookie pitchers for your starting rotation. Rangers pitchers could improve, or just not be there yet. And Seattle still lacks the offense. Overall, this will not be a strong division. In fact, the East appears heads and shoulders above the rest of the AL.

NL East
Mets
Phillies
Marlins
Braves
Nationals

The Mets can hit, and with Mike Pelfrey ready to arrive as an elite talent behind Johan Santana, not to mention a reinvented bullpen with K-Rod and Putz, the Mets should win this division by five games. Expect the Phillies to be in the wildcard mix, though. The Marlins have a bunch of good young pitchers, and that should carry them past the Braves, who had an active, yet foolish, offseason.

NL Central
Cubs
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Cardinals
Pirates

The Cubs are way-above the rest of the NL Central. It would take a curse for them not to win this division. How the rest of this division shakes out is anybody’s guess (a common theme this year). I expect a comeback year from Aaron Harang, and the emergence of their young pitching staff to carry them to second place. The Brewers take a step back; they can’t thrust all their hopes on young Gallardo. I really, really, really wanted to pick the Pirates to surprise. And, until recently, I had them in second. Yes, it was based more on emotion, but they do have a cast of super-talented young pitchers . . . if they can ever put it together. But, ultimately, they don’t have the offensive depth to mimic Tampa’s success from last year.

AL West
Diamondbacks
Dodgers
Giants
Rockies
Padres

The Dback already have two of the game’s best pitchers in Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. Throw in uber-talented strikeout artist Max Scherzer, and that’s one impressive staff. The Dodgers have a core of excellent young pitching and hitting talent, and Manny will produce — but he’ll be much closer to our Manny. The rest of the division is scuffling. (But keep an eye on Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez — breakout year.)

AL Wildcard: Yankees
NL Wildcard: Dodgers

AL Champion: Red Sox
NL Champion: Diamondbacks

Both these teams have great pitching staffs and, depending on how Scherzer pitches, the edge in starting pitching might go to the Dbacks. Of course, with trades, injuries, etc., nobody knows what these staffs will look like come October. Still, I like the depth of the Sox offense and bullpen. The Series will go 6 games,

World Champion: Your Boston Red Sox

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
NL MVP: Carlos Beltran

AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett (maybe Scott Kazmir)
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana

The Manny-Dodgers Game Of Chicken

Dan:

The Manny vs. Dodgers saga is getting real interesting. The cojones Manny has to turn down their 2-year, $45 million offer. But here’s the thing: the tables might actually be turning in his favor.

A few weeks ago I wrote how the Dodgers had Manny over a barrel. And they did. Manny had no other suitors and the market was crashing. Playing hardball had left Manny and agent Scott Boras without the teams to create a bidding war, and, with salaries dropping, they were out of options. Meanwhile, the Dodgers had the luxury of being Manny’s only true option, and they could have played hardball and dropped their offer below $20 million a year, or gone out and got another slugger (or two) in guys like Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the Dodgers are starting to look like the desperate ones. They’ve mismanaged their Manny dealings, and now they may be forced to pay through the nose for him after all. Instead of drawing a line in the sand, giving Manny a deadline and threatening to go sign other players, the Dodgers stayed idle and watched as their other options (Dunn, Abreu) all signed elsewhere. Now they are the ones out of options.

The Dodgers didn’t NEED Manny. They fooled themselves into believing that after his performance last season, but they didn’t need him. They needed a good bat. They still need that bat, but now Manny is their only option. They must have been shocked when he turned down this latest offer.

Where things go from here is anyone’s guess. Both parties are out of options; it’s now a game of chicken. Given how weak the NL West is, the Dodgers could play hardball and stick with what they now have and be very competitive in their division. But the Dodger brass might be getting desperate to add Manny’s bat, and Manny and Boras might sense that. Don’t be surprised if the Dodgers give him a third year, possibly with a club or incentive-triggered option for a fourth.

Not Manny Options

Dan:

With Bobby Abreu signing a one-year deal with the Angels (smart move by Anaheim), and Adam Dunn signing a two-year deal with Washington (that’ll be a long two years), Manny Ramirez seems to be running out of options. It is apparent the only two teams that may sign him are the Dodgers and Giants. And, despite the best attempts by Scott Boras, neither team seems in a rush to get into a bidding war. Fact is, while both teams would like to get Manny take a shot at their weak division this year, neither seems willing to mortgage their future on an aging headcase. Neither team will go more than two years. It’ll be interesting to see how far Manny takes this as Spring Training gets rolling, because these teams are calling his bluff. (Actually, Manny has never been a fan of Spring Training, so don’t be surprised if this saga drags into March.)

Speaking of Manny, he is one of the nominees for the steroid discussion today over at The Great Witch Hunt. Check it out at http://witchhunt.mlblogs.com.  

Mo’ Manny, Mo’ Problems

Dan:

Oh, Manny. What are you thinking?

The Dodgers just handed Manny Ramirez a big, fat stack of cash to play for them next year — $25 million. And Manny said, “No thanks.”

I know Manny wants a 4-year deal. But it’s time for him and Boras to admit they’ve had a bad offseason, take their lumps and move on. They’ll be better off for it in the long run. Nobody is going to give them a 4-year deal at this point. Nobody. Maybe they can squeeze 2 years at around $25 million out of the Dodgers . . . maybe. Maybe another team like the Giants or Angels sweep in and give him a 3-year deal for around $20 million . . . maybe. But that’s it. The reality is there aren’t a lot of buyers for Manny, and without that demand there, the price won’t be high. It’s basic economics.

Manny would be better served taking the obscene $25 million to play ball next year, hit .300 with 35 homers and 120 RBIs, and look to cash in next offseason, when there might be more buyers. Right now, Manny isn’t in a position of strength (see Jason Varitek). Teams would be smart to sit back and wait him out; they might ultimately be able to land him for under $20 million, although the Dodgers seem a little desperate.

Actually, the real question might not be “Manny what are you thinking?”, it might be “Dodgers, what are you thinking?” They don’t seem to be approaching this very rationally. They seem blinded by Manny’s incredible two months last season. But the fact is he won’t perform like that over an entire season. He can’t; nobody can. So why are they bidding against themselves? And why are they throwing so much money at him? For $25 million, they could probably land both Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn for next season. That would give them a better team than having just Manny. What about signing a Ben Sheets?

The smart teams will look for deals and steals right now. The dumb ones will overpay when they don’t have to, and then watch the playoffs on TV in October.

Poor Manny

Dan:

Unless you’re still a shameless Manny apologist — of which there are still some out there — you have to get some joy out of the latest development in the Manny Ramirez saga.

According to New York Newsday, Ramirez is unhappy at the lack of interest in his services this offseason. While guys like CC Sabathia, Mark Texeira, AJ Burnett and even Derek Lowe have received all the attention and have each received several offers, Manny has so far been just an afterthought waiting for Teixeira to get signed so he can get the leftovers.

And it has hurt his feelings.

According to the report, Manny has even told friends that he might retire if a suitable job can’t be found. It’s great to see Manny is still being Manny.

Now, we all know Manny won’t retire. And whoever doesn’t sign Teixeira will certainly make Manny a good offer. But, hopefully, not the $20 million a year he would have received with the Sox. The Dodgers pulled their original 2-year, $45 million offer off the table, and they don’t appear in any hurry to put it back out there. If there’s any justice in the world, they’ll tell Manny there has been a market correction since then, and they’ll offer him a lower price. With any luck, Manny will end up with a contract no more than three years at “just” $18 million a year.

Of course, if they Yankees don’t sign Teixeira, they’ll screw everything up and give Manny gobs of money again. He’ll get the paycheck he wants, thumb his nose at Boston, and then we can enjoy watching his diminished skills perform in pinstripes next to those of Johnny Damon.