Daily Archives: June 9, 2010

In Which The Dodgers Enter The World Of the Onion

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The Dodgers are winning 4-3 in the 4th inning, as Ryan Ludwick just hit a home run off the Hollywood sign, but you’ll forgive me if my focus isn’t on the game right now, because Bill Shaikin of the LA Times just published a story that’s – and I apologize here, because I know my parents read this – so fucking unbelievable that I can’t even believe it’s real.

Look, when I started writing this blog, I knew it wouldn’t always be strictly about baseball, but I guarantee you I never thought I’d write these words:

The Dodgers paid a Russian faith healer at least six figures to send positive feelings from thousand miles away.

Yeah. We’re through the looking glass here, people.

I’m not going to go through this section by section like I’ve done with other pieces – because really, what am I going to do, say “Yep, that’s pretty goddamn messed up” thirty times? – so I encourage you to read the full story. If even 20% of this is true, Bill Shaikin deserves a Pulitzer, an Emmy, and a Tony.

Here’s just a taste…

Shpunt could not transform a bad team into a good one, Cohen said, but his energy could increase the chance of winning by 10% to 15%.

Quick! Someone calculate Vladimir Shpunt’s WARP! By which I of course mean, “Wins over Replacement Psychic”.

On Oct. 2, 2004, Steve Finley capped the first season of McCourt ownership by hitting a walk-off grand slam, clinching the Dodgers’ first playoff spot in eight years.

“The miracle finish … was the result of V energy,” Cohen wrote in an e-mail to Jamie. “Frank was privileged to actually feel the energy.”

“V energy”. V ENERGY. I always thought that the McCourts had no regard for advanced statistics when they fired Paul DePodesta. Looks like I was wrong, but instead of OBP or WARP, they were into V ENERGY. Speaking of DePo…

Cohen also wrote that Shpunt had “diagnosed the disconnects” among Manager Jim Tracy, General Manager Paul DePodesta and the team’s pitchers and catchers.

“Your general manager destroyed last year’s team,” the e-mail read, “and put together a group of players that could not be a team and could not win.”

There’s about forty jokes I could make here, but let’s keep it simple: I don’t want to live in a world where we ended up with Ned Colletti rather than Paul DePodesta because of a RUSSIAN FAITH HEALER’S OPINION.

I mean… jesus. Just read the article. Didn’t think your opinion of the McCourts could get any lower, did ya?

We Have So Much Further To Go

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A few months back, I wrote an article asking if the more hardcore fans, those who read & write blogs and are interested in advanced statistics, are further out of touch with common fans than we thought. What set me off on that at the time was that despite all of the knowledge that’s come into the game in the post-Moneyball era, you still had a seeming majority of more casual Dodger fans clamoring to replace Manny Ramirez with Juan Pierre. (Before anyone notes that Manny’s been struggling, remember that Pierre is rocking a .606 OPS in Chicago, the lowest of his non-distinguished career, and the Dodgers got John Ely and Jon Link for him.)

What brings me back to this today is the reaction to Stephen Strasburg‘s debut last night, which was jaw-dropping in the sense that he somehow managed to exceed the hype. (And don’t think I didn’t smile when old friend Delwyn Young managed to take him deep.) As high as the anticipation was for Strasburg’s start, it was nothing compared to the rush to start carving out his bust for Cooperstown immediately afterwards, including notes from people I respect like from Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron:

Stephen Strasburg‘s xFIP: -0.50. That’s right – negative zero point five zero.

Obviously it’s just one start, but what Strasburg accomplished under that spotlight was so impressive that no one with a lick of baseball knowledge could possibly say anything bad about it, with ESPN’s Buster Olney actually going so far as to say that he allowed Young’s homer because his change-up was too good. (Uh, yeah. I know.)

No one, that is, except the readers of the New York Daily News:

Really, people? I didn’t expect this to be the 100% landslide it really should have been, but nearly 2/3 of the people responding to this poll think it’s just because the Pirates blow, and not that Strasburg was just that good? I suppose I’m placing too much importance on what is a completely unscientific poll, but still. It’s things like this which make me realize we have so much further to go.

First Place!

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Ho-hum, just another shutout – the third of June already – and the sixth one-run win in nine June games. That’s how you finally get back to first place in the NL West.

But it’s not just first place, is it? The win, coupled with San Diego’s loss to the Mets, gives the Dodgers the best record in the National League at 35-24, which is good for the third best in baseball behind Tampa Bay and the Yankees, who play in their own space league anyway.

Tonight’s heroes were many. Hiroki Kuroda rebounded from a string of subpar starts to go seven scoreless innings, walking just one while striking out six. Hong-Chih Kuo and Jonathan Broxton continued their utter domination, as Kuo hasn’t allowed an earned run since his first game of the season on April 22 and Broxton stared down the heart of the St. Louis lineup – Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick. Andre Ethier broke out of his post-DL slump to double twice among his three hits, and Manny Ramirez – despite somehow seeing just nine pitches in four at-bats – doubled in the only run the team would need in the 8th inning.

First place may not last long, since Adam Wainwright‘s no easy task tomorrow (though of course, neither is Clayton Kershaw). But it was only five weeks ago that the club was in last place – in the league, not just the division – and we were pondering just how bad it could get as the starting rotation disintegrated around us. So for tonight, all that matters is first place.

It’s a nice feeling.