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Saturday, July 31, 2004 |
Padres 3, Dodgers 2
Let the second-guessing begin. Dreifort isn't Mota, and the obvious hole in the bullpen becomes painfully evident two days after DePo's big trade. Mota was definitely off from last year's form, but was he really down so far that trading him made sense, to the extent that the team would have to make a decision about overpaying for his services? In other words, is Dodger Blues right -- sure, you get one guy better than Alvarez every fifth day, but isn't it also true you now get a worse guy in late innings every close game?
Update: Does that passed ball on Ross get past Lo Duca?
It's certainly a glass of cold water in the face. Every close lead in late innings now becomes that much more of a question mark; do you force your starters to go longer, or do you rely more on weaker relievers? It's a tough question, but it all reminds me that, for all the disdain I've shown Bill Stoneman over the last year for his lack of imagination in acquiring players, perhaps he's not so dumb to avoid trading key minor leaguers for pieces that might not make sense even after they arrive, let alone making trades for the sake of trading. (For the introduction to how Stoneman thinks, read this.)
"My <expletive> doesn't work in the playoffs," Billy Beane is quoted to say in Moneyball. Will DePo's even work to get us there?
Update: Does that passed ball on Ross get past Lo Duca?
Comments:
Well, Tommy, I suppose it's a big gamble, and Michael Ventre could be right: the perfecta might not have come in, and the team could be in serious trouble. Guys like Dotel and Mota don't grow on trees. And, the itch to trade sometimes undermines your team. Notice all the guys wearing player numbers on their caps, like Lima? I saw Dreifort doing it, too, and I'd be willing to bet he's not the only one. Who else does that remind you of? Maybe, (the late) Darryl Kile of the Cards?
# posted by 
: 7/31/2004 10:13:00 PM
: 7/31/2004 10:13:00 PM
Tommy, if the season has ended for you, why are you still paying attention, commenting on blogs?
I don't know about you, but I root for the uniform and for the city/area. players come and go. You think they care any about loyalty? Sure, they'll talk about wanting to stay with a team, but what if you ask them to take a 50% paycut to make the team better? It's a 2 way street. Teams are going to treat players like commidities, trading them if it makes the organization better. And players are going to be mercenaries, where team loyalty comes only after salary.
Like everybody else, I absolutely loved Paul Lo Duca the Dodger. But he's gone, our team is arguably better, and as it stands, I now care more about a 1B named Choi and a SP named Penny more than some Marlin.
mattkew
I don't know about you, but I root for the uniform and for the city/area. players come and go. You think they care any about loyalty? Sure, they'll talk about wanting to stay with a team, but what if you ask them to take a 50% paycut to make the team better? It's a 2 way street. Teams are going to treat players like commidities, trading them if it makes the organization better. And players are going to be mercenaries, where team loyalty comes only after salary.
Like everybody else, I absolutely loved Paul Lo Duca the Dodger. But he's gone, our team is arguably better, and as it stands, I now care more about a 1B named Choi and a SP named Penny more than some Marlin.
mattkew
# posted by : 7/31/2004 11:03:00 PM
: 7/31/2004 11:03:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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