Wednesday, September 01, 2004 |
Pickoff Moves
Salt In An Open Wound: Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 1
After this series, the Dodgers will go from the worst team in the NL to the best in the span of a week. Since it's mathematically impossible for the Dodgers to gain an extra ten games by way of this series, that means "best team" equals the Cards.I certainly expected the Dodgers to struggle offensively against Randy Johnson; what I didn't expect was for them to get blanked by the likes of Mike Koplove and Greg Aquino. For the Diamondbacks -- and ex-GM Jerry Colangelo -- there has to be a particular bitterness about Finley's home run, even though it didn't turn out to be the deciding factor in the game. Bad trades coming back to haunt the Snakes have been a theme all year with this club. Schilling: gone for the mediocre Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, and junk. Lyle Overbay, Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell, Chris Capuano, Chad Moeller, and Jorge de la Rosa: gone to the Brewers, in exchange for Shane Nance and Richie Sexson -- the latter blowing out his labrum in May. Finley's solo shot and three-run double -- he drove in all the Dodger runs last night -- amounted to symbolic salt in a very gaping wound. I expect next year's Arizona club will be better -- but with the wreckage left behind the bad trades, the front office instability, the now-revolving-door at the manager's chair, I have to wonder how good the team can be.
"We're Only Three Back Of The Wildcard"
Applying just as much to the Angels as to the Astros, Tom Verducci at CNNSI.com pours some cold water on the idea of a September charge to the Wild Card or the division:The standings don't change all that much in September. Of the 72 postseason teams in the wild-card era, 62 of them, or 86 percent, began September either n the lead or tied for a playoff spot. In the nine-year history of the wild card, only 10 clubs came back to make the playoffs, including three teams who made it last year (see chart, right). None of the 10 teams stayed hot enough to win the World Series. They are a combined 5-10 in postseason series.Dodgers rejoice while the Angels... well, maybe we'll see them next year.
The Not-So-Hazy Outcome of DePo's Trades
Jon writesSo is there any way at all people can stop asking, “How could the Dodgers have traded Lo Duca and Mota?” Because the explanation is clear, and has been clear from the get-go. They wanted a starting pitcher and more left-handed power. They paid a lot, but they got a lot. Brad Penny, Steve Finley and Hee Seop Choi constitutes a big haul.I don't think this trade needs defending. Penny fell, not due to a tendon pull or a labrum fray, but a nerve tweak, of which injury, Dodger trainer Pat Screnar said "I've never seen this kind of injury before." That is, Penny's injury was simply unforseeable. Put this another way: were Dodger fans howling when the Diamondbacks got Richie Sexson?The only notable event is that we simply haven’t seen all of this haul in action for the past three weeks.
As for Finley, I think I mentioned this at Dodger Thoughts, too, but there's really no salt in the wound with Finley, I don't think. (He was roundly cheered before the game.) D-Back fans realized the season was over and he was a free agent in a month, so why not see what we could get for him?
I'm not going to say that Joe Garagiola Jr. has been the best GM, but all those trades have to be taken in context. The Schilling trade? Salary dump. You can argue we should have gotten more, but I get the sense some fans (not you, Rob) think that we traded Schilling straight up for Fossum and Lyon, ignoring the fact we were trying to get some money to get a slugger. The Sexson trade? We had players ready to fill every position we traded away -- we traded away spare parts. Besides, the trade, which looked like an absolute steal before, is only good for the Brewers now because Sexson got injured. Sexson stays healthy, and the D-Backs are happy. Maybe not in the Wild Card chase, but at least happy. I'd make that trade again today.
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