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So Here’s What I Saw…
Obviously I’m late to this party. I missed the fight live, I was in a showing of “42,” which, by the way is a must-see. I was surprised at the historical accuracy of the film, great picture. Go see it if you haven’t yet.
Yes, Carlos Quentin looked silly. It’s a baseball player’s code after you get hit by a pitch you don’t look at the pitcher, and he did, and Greinke threw fuel on the fire and dropped his shoulder. I probably would have done the exact same thing, but big props for dropping your glove and not backing down. My respect for Greinke went up substantially, after his comments about going to whoever paid him the most money. I’m glad to see Zack willing to stand up and not back down.
Should Quentin be suspended longer? I suppose. Sure. I could read into this further, but I prefer to look at it objectively. Remember Brandon Belt’s response to the Dodger’s spending, saying that you can’t buy chemistry? I agree. It sucks to admit, but it’s true. But what I saw was a team that’s willing to fight for each other whether or not they’ve been teammates for a long time.
Matt Kemp took it as a personal issue after the pitch straight at his head and wouldn’t back down. He knew he was in someway partly responsible for the brawl and did his part. I saw AJ Ellis, Ethier, and Sellers going in swinging and standing up for their guys. To me that’s the ultimate chemistry, someone willing to put their physical well being for the respect of their crew. It sucks to see Greinke out for a year, but then you look at the bullpen depth and you realize that everything will probably be alright. A-Gon put it best-
Matt Kemp Hosts “42″ Screener
Before I yap too much about Mr. Kemp hosting a private screener for “42″, I’d like to apologize for the lack of blog posts in the offseason. For those asking, yes I’m still around and will be back into the swing of things this upcoming season. Thanks for your patience!
The Dodgers asked Matt Kemp to host a private showing of the upcoming biographical movie, 42, in a theater in Glendale, AZ. The screening included members of the past and present Dodgers, including Maury Wills, former NL MVP Shortstop. In an interview with Major League Baseball, Wills stated: “It actually brought tears to my eyes. I was living a lot of that movie. I knew Jackie personally. I barnstormed with him in 1953 when I was in the Minor Leagues. We would tour the South after the season and he paid me $300 for the month. I would have done it for nothing. I got to know him, he was a no-nonsense person, nice man, stern, firm — he would check the bus every night to make sure we were all there as we went from one city to another. It was quite an experience.I don’t know many other people who could have survived the way Jackie did, to come out on the other end. I knew this film was well put together and I enjoyed it.”
“42″ is set to release April 12. See the trailer below
Major League Musings: Where We’d Love To See Expansion Teams
I have plenty of time in my day to daydream about baseball; especially in the offseason. Not a whole lot of number crunching except for the free agent market and trades, so I come up with completely off-the-wall speculations and ‘what-if’s’ when it comes to America’s pastime. And so begins the first of a new segment on the blog, under the working title Major League Musings. Today’s topic- where would we love to see MLB expansion teams?
Las Vegas- A heavily populated metro area with no professional sports teams. Why not? Yes, it’s hot, but the city has the funds to build a dome stadium. Since it’s such a hot tourist spot, it would bring in baseball fans to the stadium to take a break from the debauchery going on in the surrounding city to enjoy a ball game.
Portland- Sure, it’s a basketball town; but a loyal one. A lot of sports fans in the area, and could be a great rivalry with the Mariners and the A’s. Why not? It’s populated enough with a loyal fanbase; similiar to Las Vegas’ population, and certainly higher than that of Kansas City’s. Alright, I can see why that’s not a great argument to make. Let’s move on.
Salt Lake City- This one hits near and dear to me as a Dodgers fan living in the SLC area. I don’t know many sports franchises with such a loyal (albeit small) fanbase. The fans absolutely love the Utah Jazz, even though they’re a punchline in the basketball world. The weather in the summer is perfect for baseball; with a successful MiLB team, the Salt Lake Bees who saw players such as Mike Trout, Howie Kendrick, Jered Weaver and David Ortiz. There were rumors of the Cleveland Indians relocating here; but simply put, the metro area, although growing, just isn’t large enough.
Louisville- Could it be any more obvious? MLB’s newest team, the Louisville Sluggers. Duh. I can’t believe this one has slipped past.
Orlando- Nope. Baseball in Florida isn’t doing so great. Too close to the Marlins disappointment last year and the Rays.
Sorry to get the hopes up of any cities I may have listed here, but don’t hold your breath. Baseball took a gamble back when the Rockies and Marlins appeared on the scene, and baseball is hardly in the same shape as it was then. It just doesn’t seem like a gamble that owners and Major League Baseball is willing to make quite yet, but that’s the fun in speculation. It’s a way to kill time and think “what if?” Opinions? Feel free to comment!
Twitter Questions- Lohse to Giants?
I’ve been receiving a few questions about the Giants potentially signing Kyle Lohse and my opinions on it. Simply said, I doubt it. Lincecum and Zito are their fourth and fifth guys; and I seriously doubt they would pay him that much money (he was paid $11 million last year with the Cards..) for him to be in the bullpen.
If I had to guess, I’d say watch for the Royals to make a move.
MLB Pitchers to Wear Padded Caps?
Recent studies on NFL concussions have led to rule changes in football; from changing the kickoff rules, and now talks of removing the kickoff from the game entirely. My dad is always talking about getting rid of the catcher trucking rule, my feelings are it’s just part of the game. Major League Baseball isn’t looking to radically change the game like that, but rather with padded caps for pitchers to prevent injury from line drives.
Major Leage Baseball is negotiating with different companies for the padded insert for pitchers caps. The one shown is 1/8th of an inch thick made from military grade Kevlar and a rubber based synthetic designed to reduce concussions for pitchers.
Although concussions from a line drive are a very rare occurence; if there is an insert that doesn’t encumber a pitcher’s motion, precautionary measures couldn’t hurt. The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment is planning on doing testing on these inserts in the near future.
Dee Gordon Trade Rumors
I love me some Dee. Every time I see him go into the game as a pinch runner the little kid in me gets excited. I’m ready for a stolen base, or to stretch the bases and go for broke. Dee’s lightning, several scouts giving him an 80 for speed on the 80-point scale.
But the problem with Dee is, too many errors at shortstop; and speed doesn’t matter much when you can’t get on base. Gordon’s OBP last year was sitting at just .280 in 303 at-bats; and batting at a mere .228.
As for defensively, Dee needs some work. I see way too many errors on routine plays. Remember the game against the Reds in the middle of the slump in September when Hanley fouled one off his shin and Gordon came in? Dee missed the routine grounder and sailed the ball seven feet over Gonzalez’s head into the stands, only to have Phipps hit a two-run homer into left. And insult to injury, Dee went on to make another error in the ninth. I like Dee. He’s just no Hanley.
There’s the downs. Now for the ups that make him a legitimate bargaining chip.
Obviously, he’s young. Age 24 young. He’s fast. Perfect score on scouting reports. Bright future. I think the key to unlock Dee Gordon’s success lies in playing time; which won’t be that often with the Dodgers
So where is going to be a good fit for Dee? Who needs a shortstop?
The Tribe.
The poor man’s Dodgers. A small market team making some big changes in their roster during the offseason. They have their all-star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera on the trading block, and although are losing interest from other teams around the league; the door is still open for a trade with Arizona for Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs. DBacks shortstop Stephen Drew is currently in talks with the Oakland A’s for a potential one-year deal without anything official.
With the new addition of Jake Lemmerman, the Dodgers have 6 utility players, Lemmerman, Sellers, Gordon, Herrera, Uribe (blahh), Hairston and Punto. Couldn’t hurt to trade the one while he’s hot and get some value out of him.
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Dodgers To Pass Yankees Payroll?
Los Angeles, once the laughing stock of the baseball world under the ownership of Frank McCourt and declaring bankruptcy, have given the baseball and financial worlds something new to talk about. With all of the new additions to the team over the past year- the blockbuster Red Sox trade, and additions of Brandon League, Greinke, and Ryu, the Dodgers franchise are on track to be the second team in Major League baseball to have payroll commitments over $200 million next year. And not just stopping there, the Dodgers are to be bigger spenders than the Yankees; who have been the League’s highest rollers for the past 14 years. After the $3.9 million that Boston will be paying Los Angeles next year, the Dodgers have a payroll of $207.9 million in 2013.
Here’s a breakdown of player salaries and their contract details:
Adrian Gonzalez- $21 million 7 Year/$154 million Free Agent in 2019
Carl Crawford- $20 million 7 Year/$142 million Free Agent in 2018
Matt Kemp- $20 million 8 Year/$160 million Free Agent in 2020
Zack Greinke- $19 million 6 Year/$147 million Free Agent in 2019
Josh Beckett- $15.7 million 4 Year/$60 million Free Agent in 2015
Hanley Ramirez- $15.5 million 6 Year/$70 million Free Agent in 2015
Andre Ethier- $13.5 million 5 Year/$85 million Free Agent in 2019
Ted Lilly- $13.1 million 3 Year/$33 million Free Agent in 2014
Chad Billingsley- $11 million 3 Year/$35 million Free Agent in 2016
Clayton Kershaw- $11 million 2 Year/$19 million Free Agent in 2014
Wait a minute… What about Ryu?
Quick blog update for those asking-
The Dodgers have until 5:00 PM on Sunday under their exclusive negotiating rights to negotiate a contract with Ryu and his agent, Scott Boras, who is notorious for being a stickler and difficult to deal with. If the Dodgers are unable to negotiate a contract, it is likely that Ryu will pitch in Japan.
The Dodgers have paid $25.7 million for exclusive negotiations with Ryu, so I expect Coletti will be much more open to overspend; seeing as the Dodgers have more money than God. Expect negotiations to go down to the wire; we’ll keep you posted on the cutting edge news on Ryu Hyun-jin.
