Friday, February 06, 2004 |
Reincarnation, Translation, and The Dodger Way
Two weeks ago, B.M. (Before McCourt), longtime Dodger Thoughts reader Dan Reines wrote of his dispair, coming to the final, bitter point "I'm not as much of a rube as the Dodgers -- whoever 'the Dodgers' are this week -- seem to believe I am."
So, who are the Dodgers?
Is it the organization with the blue cursive logo and red soaring ball? Is it Frank and Jamie McCourt? Dan "I'll Sell Peanuts In The Bleachers Before I'll Quit" Evans? Jim "Zzzzz" Tracy? The team in the dugout and in the bullpen? How about the minor leaguers, coaches, and trainers? Is it the peanut guy in the stands, or all the concessionaires put together?
No.
The Dodgers ended when Peter O'Malley sold to Fox. He tried, I think, to do the right thing, the best thing he could for the team, handing it to someone he thought would provide his father's franchise the financial backing he couldn't, in an era when spending spun madly out of control.
But maybe "ended" is too strong a word. The Dodgers didn't end. They only moved.
See, the seeds scattered. Scioscia, Hatcher, Griffin. "Build from within" -- remember that, Sheriff Malone? Well, it's happening, down the 5. Ignore all the hoopla about Vlad; the Angels didn't have any outfield prospects. Buying him made sense. Oh, don't worry, they've got some hot prospects coming down the pipe: Santana, Jenks, D-Mac, Kotchman, guys who will be contributing for years to come. See, that's why Arte spent big this year, because he knew it would even out with the kids coming up, and fixing the business problems with the team. And that's another thing: Arte's got the dough, and he's one guy -- just like O'Malley. The McCourts are already a two-headed beast, and with their need to acquire other partners, it's only gonna get more confusing.
The team is not dead. Dodger DNA lives, whether the address is 1000 Elysian Park Ave. or 2000 Gene Autry Way.
Arte, if you're reading this: I've got a brilliant idea to upstage the McCourts.
Hire Sandy Koufax, make him Vice President of Being Sandy Koufax, and watch as Frank turns, well, blue.
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