I’m tempted to add that the offense still scored just two runs, or that the chances of making the playoffs are so small that making any of these trades was a terrible idea to begin with, but the hell with it; it’s Saturday night, it’s a win, and we’ll take what we can get.
Not only did Ted Lilly pitch six more scoreless innings to notch his third win in as many tries as a Dodger, Scott Podsednik had three hits, Ryan Theriot had two, and Octavio Dotel pitched in with 1.1 scoreless innings. Hong-Chih Kuo might not be a new Dodger (he’s actually one of the two longest-tenured), but he made a great first impression in his new closing role, striking out two of three to finish off the game. Hey, even George Sherrill contributed by getting a righty out in a big spot, thus avoiding the shitstorm of us all asking why Joe Torre let him face a righty in a big spot in the first place.
******
Over at the LA Times, Bill Shaikin (who’s been killing it on this divorce business since the start, by the way), has some news that’s going to make your head hurt:
The Dodgers have talked about creative ways their Chavez Ravine property could generate revenue for ownership. One such deal, a head-scratcher, is already in place: The team has been charging itself rent — $14 million this year — on Dodger Stadium property it owns.
That’s weird because Shaikin paints it as a way to get around rules preventing owners from taking money directly from their teams…
The Dodgers pay rent to Blue Land, which is not involved in stadium operations. Boies said the rental payments offered the McCourts the option of working around restrictions on receiving cash directly from team coffers.
“It’s a way of taking money out of the Dodgers and putting it into a place they can access it,” Boies said.
…and is mostly infuriating because of the tone-deaf response from Frank McCourt’s attorney, Marshall Grossman:
Grossman declined to respond to a series of questions about why the Dodgers pay rent to use property they own. Instead, he issued a statement that read in part: “Our focus is on winning on the field, providing a superior fan experience, and making a significant impact on the community.
“Tidbits reported in the media from divorce court filings do not tell a full story. And while members of the news media continue to find interest in the divorce proceedings, fans care about winning and having a great experience at the ballpark. That’s where their focus is. That’s where our focus is.”
Right, Marshall. It’s the media’s fault. Because while the fans do care about winning on the field more than anything, let’s not pretend that the team spending less than ever (not just on the MLB product, but also its total lack of investment in the draft and Latin America) has nothing to do with anything, right?
