2009 February « Mike Scioscia's tragic illness

So, What’s Really Going On Here?

February 27, 2009 at 8:04 am | Posted in Manny Ramirez | 18 Comments

Just when you think this story couldn’t possibly get any weirder (and more annoying)…

1) The Offer. On Wednesday, as you surely remember, the Dodgers put forth offer #4 to Manny Ramirez: two years at $45 million ($25m in 2009, $20m in 2010), with 2010 being a player option. This seemed like a great solution to this problem for both sides, because while the Dodgers were clearly overpaying, they kept it down to just two years (maybe even just one), and Manny gets an increase over his Boston options plus the ability to walk if he thinks he can get more elsewhere. I was in favor of it, Tony Jackson said “This is a good deal for both sides”, and ESPN’s Jayson Stark said that this is the best offer that Manny’s going to get. Plus, Scott Boras had made the request that year 2 be a player option, so why would he reject an offer he’s helping to craft? This was going to be the one that got it done.

2) The Rejection.

Jackson:

Apparently, a man who is having trouble finding work in a down economy has decided, yet again and with the help of his ever-so-earnest agent, that playing baseball for a year for $25 million or two years for $45 million is somehow beneath him.

3) MSTI’s Initial Reaction Upon Groggily Seeing the Email From Josh Rawitch This Morning Noting Manny Had Declined the Offer. “What! Are you f*#%ing kidding me! What the f*#^ more does he want! There’s no other team in the bidding! This is the worst economy in decades and being offered five times what Bobby Abreu got isn’t enough!? F*#&!! I’m so sick of Manny, just screw him and move on, but oh wait, we can’t because Abreu and Adam Dunn are both gone, and if Juan Pierre is playing left field every day I’m going to kill myself. And, Boras had requested the player option and he got it! So why is he rejecting the offer now! I can’t take this!”

And that, friends, is why I do not blog before coffee.

4) Frank McCourt’s Attempt at a Public Bitch Slap.

Dodgers press release, from Dodger Thoughts:

“We love Manny Ramirez,” said Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt, “And we want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves. When his agent finds those ‘serious offers’ from other clubs, we’ll be happy to re-start the negotiations.

“Even with an economy that has substantially eroded since last November, out of respect for Manny and his talents, we actually improved our offer.

“So now, we start from scratch.”

The “serious offers” quip is obviously referring to Boras’ comment after the initial 2/$45m offer that he’d be looking forward to “serious offers” from other clubs. It’s pretty rare that you see such a public airing of dirty laundry here, but with Boras being so stubborn despite the generous offer in a lousy economy, you have to feel where McCourt is coming from, right?

Um, right?

5) Hold On, What Now?

Dylan Hernandez:

Reporting from Scottsdale, Ariz. — The Dodgers offered Manny Ramirez a two-year, $45-million contract that included a player option to void the second year.

Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, countered by proposing a two-year, $45-million contract that included a player option to void the second year.

Kudos to Hernandez here, because it’s not often I read the first two lines of a newspaper article and have my head explode like the guy from “Scanners”. But what in the hell would make Boras reject an offer he helped to craft – and then respond with the same offer? Well, as Hernandez tells us, it’s not the same:

What Colletti didn’t mention, the source said, is that most of Ramirez’s salary would’ve been deferred. Two other sources previously told The Times that the proposed deal included deferred payments.

Under the terms of the contract that Ramirez was offered by the Dodgers on Wednesday, he would’ve received $10 million this year. And by exercising the option for the second year, he would’ve received $10 million in 2010.

Ramirez, who turns 37 in May, would’ve been paid the remaining $25 million over the next three years without any added interest. He would’ve received $10 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012 and $5 million in 2013.

Well, there’s that. So if I’m reading this correctly, Boras has actually come down off his crazy 4/$108m demands, and he’s even accepted that three years are unlikely, and he’s willing to accept the Dodger terms of 2/$45m. He even offered that to you, Mr. McCourt. You’ve beaten Scott Boras at his own game, but now you’re trying to turn it into a rout by demanding he accept some of the money later? Look, I know we’re talking about figures that are silly money for most people, but for god’s sake, pay the man! Deferring that much money at zero interest means that the value of the deal isn’t actually $45 million – it’s some amount less. (How much? I don’t know, I’m not freaking Alan Greenspan over here. It’s less.)

And after I actually backed your strongly worded press release. You know what? I hate both sides right now.

6) As Usual, Bill Plaschke Has His Head Up His Ass.

This doesn’t really add to the Boras/McCourt dynamic, but it is fun to see that Plaschke’s woefully behind the curve of the ”deferred payment” story, even when a reporter at his own paper has the information:

This week, by every stretch of the wildest imagination, the Dodgers made Manny Ramirez a no-lose proposition.

By rejecting it Thursday, Ramirez has officially lost it.

He’s lost his dignity. He’s lost his perspective. He’s lost his marbles.

7) So, Now What (AKA, Now There’s a Deadline?)

Well, Barry Bloom is reporting that Boras says negotiations will continue today, but that there’s a 12pm noon Pacific deadline, which is approximately four hours from the time I hit ‘submit’ on this post. Right. Like they’re really going to cut off all contact in four hours – the Dodgers aren’t going to shut the door on the power bat they desperately need with no better options out there, and Boras isn’t going to cut off his only confirmed bidder.

Clearly, this isn’t the end of this story for today. But while I still believe that Manny ends up back in LA sooner or later, he’s no longer the only one looking greedy. Everyone attached to this debacle is looking bad right now.

Dodgers Finally Agree to Terms With ex-Red Sox Free Agent!

February 26, 2009 at 9:14 am | Posted in Doug Mientkiewicz | 5 Comments

Uh, no. Not him. Via MLBtraderumors:

According to Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Dodgers have agreed to terms with Doug Mientkiewicz on a minor league contract.

Mientkiewicz will join spring training camp once he passes a physical. He’s no Manny Ramirez, but, as Jackson writes, he “might have a good chance of making the club to fill that role that Nomar Garciaparra filled last year.”

Wait, wasn’t Mark Loretta brought in to fill the role that Nomar had last year? You know, play several different infield spots, mash lefties. Except that Loretta was going to actually stay upright long enough to do it.

Again, “minor league contract”, so that’s fine, but I guess I don’t totally see the point here. Eyechart (best nickname – think about it, and there’s no way I’m writing out “Mientkiewicz” every time) is a superb defensive first baseman, to the point where he’s also seen time at 2B, 3B, and RF in his career. That’s nice and all, but I don’t think that James Loney really needs a defensive caddy, and while Casey Blake might, Doug was rated at an awful 17.9 runs below average (over 150 games) by FanGraphs for his work at 3B last year.

He’s actually a better hitter than I’d thought he was, especially for a guy who’s been on 6 teams in the last 5 years, with a career OPS+ of exactly 100 – average, and he has almost no discernable lefty/righty split (just .009 in OPS apart over his career). So it’s not that he’s a bad player, because an excellent defensive 1B who’s not awful at the plate isn’t a bad piece. The question is really more one of roster composition.

Think about it: the 4 infield starters are accounted for and Loretta is a lock. Assuming Manny comes back, he’s a starter along with Kemp and Ethier, with Pierre and at least one other outfielder (Young/Repko/etc) around. Add in Ausmus, and you’ve got 4 bench spots already spoken for (Ausmus/Loretta/Pierre/OF). Now, if the team is going to carry 12 pitchers (which I’m always strongly against, but they seem to prefer) you’ve only got one more spot. It seems to me that the biggest hole there is middle infield, partially because of the depth this team has at that spot and partially because both Furcal and Hudson are coming off of injuries. Sure, Loretta’s there, but wouldn’t you think we’d also need to see a Tony Abreu/Blake DeWitt/Chin-Lung Hu type? That has to be more important than adding a backup first baseman when the starter played 161 games last year.

Now, if the club does decide to carry only 11 pitchers then I could see this, but they never seem to do that. Again, a minor-league contract for a solid player isn’t a big problem in the long run; we’ll just have to see how the roster shakes out for this.

Now THIS Is Happening

February 25, 2009 at 7:11 pm | Posted in Manny Ramirez | 3 Comments

I’m basically near my computer nonstop all day, and I step away for two hours, and what do I come back to? Well, other than 38 new messages on the “Re-sign Manny” thread on the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, which immediately give me the idea that something was up, Tony Jackson has some details:

From what I understand, though, there WON’T be a deal tonight. The offer is a two-year, $45 million contract, with salaries of $25 million the first year and $20 million the second, but the second year is a PLAYER option so Manny can walk away if he believes he can get more on the open market next winter. If he is injured during the first season, the second year becomes guaranteed. Boras and Co. have taken it under advisement, and the club is expecting a response early tomorrow.

If this is true: wow, because this would be a brilliant deal for the Dodgers. We were all thrilled with the one year offer, would be happy with a two year deal, and would probably begrudgingly accept a third year.

Really, unless Manny suffers a serious injury in the first year, there’s no downside here. We get him prepared to mash in 2009, motivated to hit the market again in 2010. If the economy hasn’t rebounded, we get him for $5 million cheaper in year 2, but still motivated because he’ll be in another contract year. And then, we can see how age has eroded his skills (especially on defense), and let him walk just in time for Andrew Lambo to take over!

Love this. Now, can we please get this done? Please?

So THAT’S How They Make Them Do Sprints

February 24, 2009 at 12:13 pm | Posted in bad photoshopping, Manny Ramirez | 4 Comments

* Stats blog Driveline Mechanics ponders the question: Do the Dodgers now have the best double-play combo in the NL? As you know, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Hudson signing, so I’ll be predictably tenative on that question. Right off the top of my head, I’m assuming that there’s no way that our boys are beating the fantastic Utley/Rollins combo in Philly or the huge bats of Uggla/Ramirez in Florida. And the survey says… middle of the pack. That sounds about right.

* Another step in MSTI’s inevitable takeover of the web: I answered some Dodger preview questions for Cardinals blog C70 At the Bat. This did take place before Torre said that Casey Blake would not be moving to the oufield, but I think I ended up talking way more about Juan Pierre than I’d ever really care to.

* Jon Heyman vs. Buster Olney on Manny: Fight!

Heyman:

The Dodgers probably know that their offers of $45 million over two years or $25 million over one year aren’t going to get it done, either.

Olney:

The free-agent market collapsed after the signings of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, to the point that productive veterans like Bobby Abreu and Orlando Hudson have been forced to accept a salary for about 20-25 percent of what they had hoped for when the winter began.

And yet by the end of this week, the Dodgers might wind up signing Manny Ramirez to a multiyear deal far above market value. A really, really good contract for a 36-year-old star outfielder in the current market is for $15 million or $16 million a year — and yet the Dodgers might be poised to offer Ramirez $20 million to $25 million for a couple of years.

[snip]

That’s a little nuts. No, that’s really nuts.

* Finally, maybe we shouldn’t underestimate Scott Boras, because though the ever-brilliant The Onion is clearly joking about getting Manny $20 billion (with a “b”) in stimulus money… you could almost see it happening, couldn’t you?

Screw It, Why Stop Now

February 21, 2009 at 8:38 am | Posted in Joe Beimel, Juan Cruz, Manny Ramirez | 8 Comments

If the signing of Orlando Hudson signals anything, it’s this: Ned Colletti is in complete win-now mode. Why else would you give up a first round draft choice for a player who might only be here for one season? While I continue to be disappointed with the signing for all the reasons I discussed previously, I do realize that this might actually make the Dodgers a better team in 2009 – and that’s clearly Colletti’s only goal here, with the possibility of his job being on the line if this season doesn’t go well.

So with that pesky “first round draft pick” out of the way, why not go for broke? With so many teams completely out of money, the Dodgers might as well be the Yankees of the late winter signing season. Unfortunately, there’s no one out there who’d improve the team’s biggest weakness right now – the starting rotation – so let’s improve what we can.

Let’s start by signing Juan Cruz. His Type A status is scaring away teams who don’t want to give up a first round pick for a reliever, but the Dodgers no longer have that problem. While it would mean giving yet another pick to the Diamondbacks, surrendering a second rounder somewhere in the 50s is much more palatable than the 17th pick, and it would take away one of our main competition’s top relievers.

Cruz has been dominant the last two years, putting up ERA+ scores of 152 and 176 in a setup role and racking up huge strikeout numbers (158 in 112.2 IP). He does walk more than you’d like (about one every other inning), but it’s not easy to find a guy who can miss bats like that. FanGraphs has him as adding 1.2-1.3 wins next year, which may not sound like much, but is pretty impressive considering he’s merely a relief pitcher.

It’s well-known Colletti is still looking for a reliever; Cruz is clearly the best one out there. Now that we no longer have to worry about giving up a first round pick for him, why not go get him?

(Yes, I know of the reports that Cruz is closing in on a sign-and-trade deal with Minnesota. It hasn’t happened yet at the time of this writing, so there’s still time to act.)

Then bring back Joe Beimel. Yes, I know his mediocre peripherals don’t exactly support his ERA – he doesn’t strike out a lot of people, and his WHIP is merely average. So when there were reports earlier in the off-season that he was looking for three year deals, I was happy to say goodbye. But the market for lefty relievers has bottomed out so hard that the only confirmed offer I can find for him is a minor league proposal from the Rangers. Look, Beimel isn’t as great as his ERA makes him look, but he’s still been very reliable in LA, pitching in 83 and 71 games the last two seasons while only allowing one long ball. If he’s going to come as cheaply as it sounds, why not toss out a one year, one million dollar offer to bring him back?

How tasty would a foursome of Hong-Chih Kuo & Beimel from the left side and Cory Wade & Cruz from the right side be in front of Jonathan Broxton? Now that’s a bullpen, and we haven’t even considered Ramon Troncoso, James McDonald, or Scott Elbert. It’d also serve to further prove how foolish the Guillermo Mota signing was, but I’d take that bullpen any day.

Finally, bring back Manny. This is a little different situation, of course, because I do believe that the Dodgers have been completely thorough in their efforts to bring him back. Theoretically progress has been made, with Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reporting that:

On the phone and in newsprint, the Dodgers’ negotiations with Manny Ramirez are intensifying.

Colletti said he has spoken “much more” to Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, over the last seven days than in any previous one-week period since they opened talks in November.

“The conversations are more frequent and longer,” said Colletti, who wouldn’t say if the increased dialogue is a sign of progress. “Days are ticking off the calendar.”

Talking is a good sign, at least. I wouldn’t dare put a date on Manny’s return, but it’s still more likely than not he’s coming back. At some point. We hope. If you’re in your “go for it” year, then you simply cannot downgrade from Manny Ramirez to Juan Pierre in left field. That’s akin to trading out Jessica Alba for Cloris Leachman in a bikini contest.

In the meantime, at least the back-and-forth between Boras’ lunacy and Colletti’s frustration is pretty entertaining:

[Boras] pointed out that the Dodgers’ most important free-agent signings of the winter, Rafael Furcal and Casey Blake, were already on the club when it acquired Ramirez in a three-way trade involving the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers were a game under .500 at the time.

But Colletti disagreed that the team would revert to its pre-Ramirez form if it failed to re-sign the All-Star outfielder.

“Pretty much the same team?” Colletti said. Colletti continued sarcastically, “Casey Blake was playing back then, right? Furcal played almost every day, right?”

Blake, who was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in a midseason trade, didn’t play his first game with the Dodgers until July 26. Furcal was sidelined from May 6 to Sept. 23 because of a bulging disk in his back that required surgery.

If I Post About Orlando Three Times in a Row, Maybe He’ll Appear

February 20, 2009 at 11:47 am | Posted in Orlando Hudson | 18 Comments

…and according to MLBtraderumors, he has.

According to XM Home Plate, the Dodgers signed Orlando Hudson.

No salary details yet, obviously. I think I made myself pretty clear yesterday on this. He’s a good player, I’ll be happy to cheer for him… but handing Arizona the 17th overall pick is an absolute killer. I can’t stand the idea of tossing away picks like that. And the fact that the front office is apparently okay with that continues to sadden me.

The Diamondbacks must be thrilled, and that alone is enough to know that this was a mistake.

And you know what? I didn’t mention this yesterday, but I should have. If you really really needed a second baseman, Ray Durham could have been had for half the price, zero draft pick compensation… and coming off a superior offensive year. He’s not the defender that Hudson is, granted, but is that worth giving away a first round pick to our biggest rival? It’s mind blowing.

I suppose it remains to be seen whether this benches/demotes DeWitt, or pushes him to third base, with Blake to left and Pierre to the bench. That would be the most efficient use of the pieces involved, but if that’s the case it’s still a problem, because if you’ve got a left fielder that’s not named Manny Ramirez, it really needed to be Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu.

On the plus side, I suppose, now today’s earlier post about Orlando Cabrera was much ado about nothing.

Update: We now have salary numbers from MLB.com:

The deal is worth $3.4 million with another $4.6 million in possible incentives.

So if he hits all his incentives, that’s eight million dollars? How is that cheap? Wasn’t half the point that we were going to be able to get a decent player at a great discount? Granted, we don’t know what the incentives are yet or how easily obtained they’ll be, but some of them had better be “win Cy Young Award” or “land on the moon”. Oh, and by the way, let’s enjoy the Hudson that no longer calls Arizona home: his 2008 home/road splits were a .939 OPS at home… .718 OPS on the road. Fantastic. This keeps getting better and better.

And No, I Don’t Want Orlando Bloom or Orlando Jones, Either

February 20, 2009 at 9:01 am | Posted in Blake DeWitt, Orlando Cabrera, Orlando Hudson | 5 Comments

Hey, remember yesterday when I said that even though I think Orlando Hudson is a good player who might help the team, the cost of giving up the 1st round pick was too high of a price to play for one year, so let’s pass? What about giving up a 1st round pick for an older player who’s not as good?

PHOENIX — The Dodgers, apparently uncertain they can work a deal for second baseman Orlando Hudson, have also begun talks with free-agent infielder Orlando Cabrera.

Cabrera, a two-time Gold Glove shortstop, told the club he would be willing to move to second base, where Blake DeWitt came to camp as the heir apparent to the retired Jeff Kent. Shortstop is locked up by Rafael Furcal, who signed a three-year deal, although Cabrera would provide insurance if Furcal was injured again.

This makes even less sense. While the 1st round price tag is what’s making me want to avoid Hudson, I at least admit that he’s a productive player who would be a short-term upgrade on the unproven Blake DeWitt at 2B – fine.

But Cabrera? Well, first of all, he’s not a second baseman. Oh sure, he says he’s willing to play it, but he’s only got 33 games of experience there, and no real time put in since 1998. Even worse, look at his bat. There’s no comparison between the Orlandos – while Hudson improved his OPS+ for the 4th straight year to 108, Cabrera declined to an 84 OPS+, making him 16% worse than the average AL hitter last year. In fact, he’s only been league average once in his career – way back in 2003 – and at 34, that’s unlikely to change now.

And that’s really the main point. Again, while he’s not worth a top pick, Hudson is likely to be better than DeWitt in 2009. Not only is Cabrera not better than Hudson, he’s not even better than DeWitt! Who’s more likely to produce in 2009? The 34 year old coming off an 84 OPS+ season, or the 23 year old coming off an 91 OPS+ season? Forget the salaries or the picks involved, DeWitt was a better player last year and he’s likely to be so this year. There’s an argument to be made for bumping him for Hudson; there is no such argument to do the same for Cabrera.

To recap, the second base rankings are as such: DeWitt + keeping 1st round pick + no additional salary > Hudson - 1st round pick > Mark Loretta + keeping 1st round pick + no additional salary > Tony Abreu + keeping 1st round pick + no additional salary > Ivan DeJesus Jr. + keeping 1st round pick + no additional salary > Orlando Cabera – 1st round pick.

I didn’t want to spend a 1st round pick on Hudson, and he’s clearly better than Cabrera. Why would we want to waste a 1st round pick on him?

Let’s Talk About Orlando Hudson

February 18, 2009 at 4:49 pm | Posted in Blake DeWitt, Orlando Hudson | 14 Comments

We’ve mentioned this possibility in passing a few times, but now today there’s this from Ken Gurnick and his unfortunately-named blog:

The collapse of the free-agent market has dropped second baseman Orlando Hudson’s contract demands to a level that interests the Dodgers, and general manager Ned Colletti confirmed Wednesday that talks are ongoing.

Colletti said he has payroll “flexibility” unrelated to efforts to sign Manny Ramirez which Colletti said continue, He added that interest in Hudson does not mean he lacks confidence in Blake DeWitt, who came into Spring Training as the incumbent second baseman after the retirement of Jeff Kent.

“I’m big on inventory,” Colletti said.

Inventory’s nice, but is it worth it in this case? Hudson is probably looking for between $4-$5m on a one-year deal, which is a steal for a first-time free agent who made $6.25m last year, the fourth year in a row in which his OPS+ improved. Plus, while he’s no longer the defensive vaccuum he once was, he’d still be a huge improvement over Jeff Kent, and probably also over the mostly untested Blake DeWitt with the glove.

So hey, why not take advantage of the down economy like the women I saw ransacking Old Navy’s 75% off sale this weekend?

Well, the big problem would be that Hudson is a Type A free agent, which means that signing him would send the 17th pick in the first round of the 2009 draft directly to the division rival Diamondbacks. That may not seem like much, but keep in mind that other 17th overall picks in the last fifteen years have included Cole Hamels, David Murphy, LA’s own Scott Elbert, Brad Lidge, and Roy Halladay. Is that the kind of lottery ticket we want to be handing to the main competition in the division for just one year of Hudson?

Besides, while Hudson would most likely be an upgrade over DeWitt, what would the cost of displacing DeWitt be? Sure, Hudson will outperform DeWitt in 2009. But when both were 22, as DeWitt was last year, both players put up nearly identical OPS (.727 vs .730). The main difference, of course, is that while DeWitt was doing it in the bigs, Hudson was doing it in single and double A ball. I have no idea what kind of player DeWitt will turn out to be, but I do know that I’m very interested in finding out.

Now, there is one other option in which both Hudson and DeWitt could stay on the field, and that’s to shift DeWitt back to third base and push Casey Blake out to left field. It’s certainly not an ideal situation, but swapping out Juan Pierre for Hudson in the lineup is without question a huge win. Of course, that presupposes that Manny Ramirez won’t be returning to town, and in that case, ending up with Hudson instead of Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu (both superior hitters who wouldn’t cost a draft pick) would have to be seen as a huge failure.

So, sure, Hudson’s a good player. He’d probably even help the team in 2009. But I just can’t stomach sending a first round pick to a division rival for one year of (likely) impeding DeWitt’s development. Pass.

Ethier Avoids the Wrath of Ng

February 17, 2009 at 10:15 am | Posted in Andre Ethier, Jason Isringhausen | Leave a comment

MLBtraderumors directs us to a New York Post article with the details:

The Dodgers and Andre Ethier have agreed on a one-year, $3.1 million contract and will avoid arbitration, The Post has learned.

Ethier can earn an extra $100,000 in plate-appearance incentives.

The real question is, of course, how in the hell a New York paper is getting the scoop on a contract from a Los Angeles team that’s training in Arizona. This sounds about right, though – Ethier had asked for $3.75m, while the Dodgers had offered $2.65m. If Ethier nails the incentives, he’ll get the midpoint of the two deals, which is really how 90% of these situations work out anyway. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s work on a longer term deal, shall we?

On another topic, we can’t ever get enough old, washed-up veteran pitchers:

Isringhausen, 36, stands at 293 career saves, including a franchise record 217 in seven seasons with the Cardinals. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers also have expressed interest in bringing him into camp to audition for middle or set-up relief.

Actually, I’m kidding – I’d completely be in favor of this assuming it’s reasonably priced. Isringhausen was abysmal last year (5.70 ERA in 42 games, which is a 75 ERA+, along with a 1.641 WHIP), but was excellent in 2007 (2.48 ERA, 177 ERA+, 1.071 WHIP). Guys who’ve been as good as he has for as long as he has don’t generally fall off a cliff that hard without an underlying reason, and Isringhausen did indeed have tendon surgery on his arm in September. If, as he states, he’s recovered (though who doesn’t say that at this time of year), why not bring him in? Unlike Trevor Hoffman, this wouldn’t be to take over the closer’s role from Jonathan Broxton, just to add another arm to the relief corps. Works for me.

Update: Almost forgot to mention, I did a five questions segment about the Dodgers as part of the season preview at the most excellent Razzball. My number one prediction: this is the only Dodgers preview you’ll read this year that involves Wilmer Valderrama, STDs, and the corpse of Ricardo Montalbon.

At Least It’s Better Than More ARod Talk…

February 14, 2009 at 9:04 pm | Posted in Manny Ramirez | Leave a comment

Just a quick and fun post while I shudder at the Jonas Brothers assaulting my ears on yet another aggressively awful SNL, but this jumped out at me from dodgers.com:

PHOENIX — Manny Ramirez stands out, even in absentia.

There are 70 nameplates above lockers in the Dodgers’ new clubhouse at Camelback Ranch-Glendale and one locker without a nameplate, in the corner next to Rafael Furcal.

Guess who they’re saving that one for.

I like to think this looks something like this:

Also, we’ve featured “Troy from West Virginia” before on this site (notably with his original video, “The Legend of Joe Beimel“, and when I sort of e-stalked him in Philadelphia), but this is by far his best work. I can’t imagine the effort it took to fit this all together, but trust me – it’s worth the listen.