Anyone Still Worried?
September 24, 2008 at 7:35 am | Posted in Hong-Chih Kuo, Rafael Furcal | 19 CommentsAmazing what a little ten-run outburst combined with an Arizona loss can do for your outlook on life, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure we won’t be seeing as much hand-wringing and worry around the intertubes as was going on yesterday. Despite the exhortations from FireNedCollettiNow to avoid saying the “P” word, I’m going to be the one to say it: the Dodgers are going to make the playoffs. There. It’s done.
That said, Let’s go Mets! Anyone here prefer to play the Cubs over the Phillies in the first round? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Well, we’re going to Chicago if the Brewers manage to pull out the wild card, so here’s to CC Sabathia finally breaking down from overuse tonight. And not after we give him a 7-year, $160 million deal in the offseason. Ugh.
So here’s what I’m most interested in right now: Rafael Furcal. The latest update, from today’s LA Times, seems to be a positive one:
Rafael Furcal said the pain in his surgically repaired lower back has diminished to a point where he is no longer hesitant about venturing onto the field.
“I’m ready for however they want to use me,” Furcal said, adding that the only physical discomfort he’s experiencing these days is some mild tightness in his hamstrings.
I know, I know; counting on Rafael Furcal for anything is a little bit like depending on Jason Schmidt. But I say, it’s time to throw him out there, because what’s the downside? I know this is going to sound pretty inhumane, but what’s the worst that can happen – he gets hurt again? He’s a free agent after the season, so it’s not like the Dodgers are on the hook for paying him if he’s injured. But isn’t it worth the chance to see if an 80% (I’m just guessing on that) Furcal is better than a 100% Angel Berroa, even despite Berroa’s recent improvement? So put Furcal out there. If he shows some semblance of his former self, then great – now you’ve improved a dangerous offense even further by putting him at the top of it and having the 8th spot be occupied by Blake DeWitt rather than Berroa. If it was too soon and he gets hurt again, the only effect is that you’re in the same position you’ve been in for months, which is not having his services. No downside there, to me.
* Also, I’d like to address this right off the bat, because I know everyone hates the Yankees and claims “East Coast bias!” and so on….
Yankees Senior VP Hank Steinbrenner isn’t all that impressed that Joe Torre has the Dodgers on the brink of the playoffs in his first season managing in L.A.
“I’m happy for Joe, but you have to compare the divisions and the competition,” the bombastic Baby Boss says in a guest column in the new Sporting News magazine, which hits newsstands this week.
“What if the Yankees finish the season with more wins than the Dodgers but the Dodgers make the playoffs? Does that make the Dodgers a better team? No.”
Hank is, believe it or not, absolutely right. Don’t forget, not only are the Yankees likely to end up with as many or more wins than the Dodgers, they’re doing it in what might be rightly called the toughest division in history. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that the Dodgers politely decline a playoff invitation, and if they should win it all that flag’s not going to fly any lower because of the weak division they came out of. It’s just something that we all need to keep in mind – in any other division, the Dodgers are a third place team.
* Finally, a quick update on yesterday’s story about Hong-Chih Kuo, from the same article as the Furcal quote:
Hong-Chih Kuo played catch and said his ailing left elbow is responding well to treatment, but admitted that he didn’t know if he would be able to pitch in the postseason. Kuo, who has undergone four elbow surgeries, has pitched twice in the last three weeks.
Not good!
- Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness 
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I hate Hank, but i agree with his statement as he’s absolutely right. The Dodgers have been plagued by injury but that still doesn’t provide a proper excuse for losing eight straight. Also, getting swept by the league’s worse team in the process. But, it makes me feel better that he’s going to spend so much money on free agents, which means that he’ll never have a good farm system, and thus no future outside of spending spending spending.
Comment by Jaime— September 24, 2008 #
Can we still see the picture for the magic number at 4?
Comment by Mike— September 24, 2008 #
While I’d love to see a healthy Furcal in the lineup on a daily basis, Berroa has played exceptional defense – something Furcal is unlikely to do, given his recent injury history.
Comment by WBB— September 24, 2008 #
I agree with Hank too, but so what? The Dodgers can only play in the division they are in, and play the schedule they play. The Cards crawled into the playoffs two years ago and won it all. Were they the “best team in baseball” that year? No. Were they World Champions? Yes. Will anyone care in ten years that they only made the playoffs on an empty tank? Right now, as a Dodger season ticket holder I’ll take a Division series title in a weak division over a 90 win season coming third. Once we hit the division series, anything can happen in a 5 game match-up.
Comment by CMG— September 24, 2008 #
Mike, I had it up for a few hours last night. You can see it here:
http://msti.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/magicnumber4.jpg
CMG: I’ve been saying that all year long.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— September 24, 2008 #
This post, along with your playoff roster post, will be to blame if an epic collapse occurs. :P
Comment by Fire Ned Colletti Now— September 24, 2008 #
CMG-Yeah, the only problem I have is the implication that the teams don’t deserve their spot. It’s not the 2006 Cardinals or the 2008 Dodgers fault that the structure is setup the way it is.
Comment by Fire Ned Colletti Now— September 24, 2008 #
Kensai, I like to think I’m pushing the jinx so hard it’s an anti-jinx.
Regarding the weak division, I don’t want to give the impression that I think the Dodgers are frauds. Just lucky. But I’ve been saying the flag still counts as far back as July, when I said:
“Thanks to the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers still have as good a chance as anyone to make the playoffs. And once you’re there, they don’t penalize you for how badly you backed in (see: 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.)”
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— September 24, 2008 #
Not to worry, i’ve been flying the luck flag forever now.
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I was just talking about Hank’s inference that the teams didn’t deserve what they achieved simply because of the circumstances.
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I’ve been saying for a while that the only reason the Dodgers aren’t in the Blue Jays’ or Astros’ situation is because of the division. :o
Comment by Fire Ned Colletti Now— September 24, 2008 #
In any other division the Dodgers wouldn’t have played the teams they played. You can’t compare two teams wins in different divisions. It’s like telling a businessman in a poor country that he’s not really rich because when you compare his wealth to other countries he doesn’t compare. Who is to say the Dodgers wouldn’t be doing better or worse in another division? Who is to say that businessman wouldn’t be more or less successful in another country.
Comment by Clay— September 24, 2008 #
Frankly, I think the Dodgers are considerably better, at this point, than the Yankees. I think they’re at least as good as the Phillies and Mets, but not as good as the Cubs or the AL division leaders. That said, I think they’re of beating the Cubs if the breaks go their way, but probably not deep enough to beat the AL champion.
Comment by WBB— September 24, 2008 #
WBB: I don’t know bout that. If this team gets enough breaks, I think they could even beat an AL champion. They took 2 of 3 from the Angels at the end of June, remember?
Comment by Dodger fan— September 25, 2008 #
I said “probably not deep enough to beat the AL champion,” but I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. I’d certainly rather play the Mets or Phils than the Cubs, but on the other hand Zambrano has a history of imploding that could work to their advantage.
Comment by WBB— September 25, 2008 #
Yeah, the Yankees never ever made it into the playoffs by fattening up against bad teams like the Orioles, Rays and Jays of yore, eh?
Comment by BlueMamma— September 25, 2008 #
To be fair, when the Yankees did that, they’d also win 98 games.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— September 25, 2008 #
The Yanks won the world series in 2000 with only 87 wins in the regular season.
Comment by Erich— September 25, 2008 #
And in contrast, Erich — Didnt the Mariners win 110 games that year and ended up getting smoked by the Yankmees in the playoffs?
There’s a reason they call it the second season. (sorry for the rhyme)
Comment by VegasBlue— September 25, 2008 #
WIthout looking I think the Mariners won as many as 114 games that year, and yeah lost to the Yankees in the first round.
Anything is possible, and the Dodgers are a dangerous team. If I were in the NL I wouldn’t want to play them.
Comment by Erich— September 25, 2008 #
My bad in 2000 the M’s won 91 games, and lost in 6 in the ALCS to the Yankees.
Comment by Erich— September 25, 2008 #