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Monday, October 11, 2004 |
The Morning After
Added to Jon's list of 2004 highlights:
Retiring: Robin Ventura announced his retirement. Also likely retired: Brent Mayne.
- Ishii's complete game shutout against the Giants.
- Ishii's complete game shutout against the Diamondbacks.
- Beating the Yankees, twice at home. To me, those games were the first that really, truly felt like the Dodgers could make the postseason.
- Just for me, personally: my winning streak on the magic tickets continues unabated this year, 5-0 lifetime. Thanks, Cory.
- Beating the Giants in their park, twice, to keep the season alive.
- Finding just enough magic to beat the Rockies the last week of the season to keep the Giants at bay.
- Clinching against the Giants at home, sending Team Halloween's season into doubt, in a manner that erased forever the pain of Bobby Thomson's home run.
Retiring: Robin Ventura announced his retirement. Also likely retired: Brent Mayne.
Leaving to Free Agency: according to the same article, "Hideo Nomo, Todd Hundley, Odalis Perez, Paul Shuey and Elmer Dessens", though the Japan Times says Nomo might return because, according to DePo, "he holds a special place with the team".
Also leaving to free agency: Jose Hernandez and Steve Finley.
Coming Back: DePo would like to see Wilson Alvarez in Dodger blue next year:
"... Hopefully they will give me another chance to come back next year. This year was better than last year, and we can still take another step. I really appreciate everything this organization did for me. They gave me the chance to be somebody again.""Jose Lima said he is hoping for a multi-year contract," but his career numbers don't impress; the fact that he exceeded his rosiest PECOTA projections indicates a likely career year. Maybe he is a better pitcher; maybe Dodger Stadium (4-4 road, vs 9-1 at Chavez) and a hypercompetent infield behind him has boosted his record. Clearly he loves it here, and the fans love him back. He won't necessarily be expensive. I'm torn on this one, but further analysis of Jose will have to wait until after the postseason is over.
Comments:
Good adds, Rob. I can still picture Dave Roberts circling the bases against the Yankees - what an exciting play. And of course, all the highlights of the September stretch run...
Rob;
Please don't take this wrong, but I just don't go along with the concept of picking highlights from the season, slim pickings at that, just to gloss over mediocre results.
We're talking about a five team division, two of which could be competitive at the Little League level (slight exaggeration), two others that couldn't hold a lead against anyone and we went to the bitter end of the season to win at that. We were but one swing away (Finley's)from heading back to San Francisco. I just don't think a division win qualifies anymore for a champagne shower. I'm still waiting for a sub .500 team to make the playoffs a la NBA. At one point this season less than half the teams in both leagues were playing .500 ball. Actually I don't think this first five game series even deserves a celebration. Eight teams, seven losers.
Am I negative? I guess so, but I prefer realistic or even brutally frank. Today at least.
I think Perez ducked the Cardinals in both regular season series and it turns out he was way smarter than he looks.
I don't want to dredge up "the trade" again, actually I do, I guess, but how in the heck do we have any idea how bad or good it was? The sum total of Choi and Penny's contributions is pretty much zero to this point. I only know for absolute certain that it left a hole in the lineup that we could not afford and a money priority for next year. Someone with a more analytical mind than mine could figure out the pitching ramifications, but I think Mota would have been nice to have in the stretch run and playoffs.
53 come from behind wins sounds great, 26 in our last at bat even better, but why were we in that position so many times in the first place? That doesn't even count the times we didn't come back.
I attended about Twenty games at Dodger Stadium this year plus travelling to San Francisco (great new park)and Boston. I resent that the new ownership has taken my fun away with that debiitating sound system, their inability to put an end to the beach ball craze and their unwillingness to clamp down on the "Joe Louis Beer" drinkers.
But don't worry. By the time next season begins I'll be chomping at the bit. Sorry to be so long winded.
AHB
Please don't take this wrong, but I just don't go along with the concept of picking highlights from the season, slim pickings at that, just to gloss over mediocre results.
We're talking about a five team division, two of which could be competitive at the Little League level (slight exaggeration), two others that couldn't hold a lead against anyone and we went to the bitter end of the season to win at that. We were but one swing away (Finley's)from heading back to San Francisco. I just don't think a division win qualifies anymore for a champagne shower. I'm still waiting for a sub .500 team to make the playoffs a la NBA. At one point this season less than half the teams in both leagues were playing .500 ball. Actually I don't think this first five game series even deserves a celebration. Eight teams, seven losers.
Am I negative? I guess so, but I prefer realistic or even brutally frank. Today at least.
I think Perez ducked the Cardinals in both regular season series and it turns out he was way smarter than he looks.
I don't want to dredge up "the trade" again, actually I do, I guess, but how in the heck do we have any idea how bad or good it was? The sum total of Choi and Penny's contributions is pretty much zero to this point. I only know for absolute certain that it left a hole in the lineup that we could not afford and a money priority for next year. Someone with a more analytical mind than mine could figure out the pitching ramifications, but I think Mota would have been nice to have in the stretch run and playoffs.
53 come from behind wins sounds great, 26 in our last at bat even better, but why were we in that position so many times in the first place? That doesn't even count the times we didn't come back.
I attended about Twenty games at Dodger Stadium this year plus travelling to San Francisco (great new park)and Boston. I resent that the new ownership has taken my fun away with that debiitating sound system, their inability to put an end to the beach ball craze and their unwillingness to clamp down on the "Joe Louis Beer" drinkers.
But don't worry. By the time next season begins I'll be chomping at the bit. Sorry to be so long winded.
AHB
# posted by 
: 10/11/2004 10:41:00 AM
: 10/11/2004 10:41:00 AM
i hope dave roberts does a lot more base-circling against the yankees this week.
-Vishal
-Vishal
# posted by : 10/11/2004 11:53:00 AM
: 10/11/2004 11:53:00 AM
AHB -- I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the value of The Trade. You'd rather have Mota and Lo Duca and have to pay their expensive arbitrations? Fine. I'll take Penny and his arb any day of the week if it means he can come back and be healthy next year. That's one hole we won't have to worry about in a 2005 rotation that's already full of question marks.
I'm not denying the mediocrities and failures. I'm not denying that they should have gotten it done against the Padres in September (when they needed to get wins against weaker teams), and against the Giants (who swept us at home once). I'm not denying this is a flawed team that got a lot of luck and help getting to win the division. We all knew it was going to be a weak division going in; the least awful would win it. The Giants, hamstrung by their immobile contracts (viz. Robb Nen), expensive stadium debt, and depleted farm system didn't have a lot of options. Their showing in April was clearly different than what turned up later, and it's no surprise they were able to improve. There just wasn't that big of a change in the club, and no reason to think they weren't going to get better.
Yes, we need better and more consistent offensive production, including a legitimate leadoff hitter and production at 2B. Yes, our 2004 rotation consists of a bunch of 3-4 guys with slightly-better-than-average luck, and a damn fine pitching coach in Jim Colburn. I'll get to all that when I do the offseason writeups. For now, I'm focusing, surprisingly enough, on the positives. It's the first time since 1996 they've been in the postseason, and the first time since 1988 they've won a postseason game of any kind (thank you, Jose Lima).
I'm not denying the mediocrities and failures. I'm not denying that they should have gotten it done against the Padres in September (when they needed to get wins against weaker teams), and against the Giants (who swept us at home once). I'm not denying this is a flawed team that got a lot of luck and help getting to win the division. We all knew it was going to be a weak division going in; the least awful would win it. The Giants, hamstrung by their immobile contracts (viz. Robb Nen), expensive stadium debt, and depleted farm system didn't have a lot of options. Their showing in April was clearly different than what turned up later, and it's no surprise they were able to improve. There just wasn't that big of a change in the club, and no reason to think they weren't going to get better.
Yes, we need better and more consistent offensive production, including a legitimate leadoff hitter and production at 2B. Yes, our 2004 rotation consists of a bunch of 3-4 guys with slightly-better-than-average luck, and a damn fine pitching coach in Jim Colburn. I'll get to all that when I do the offseason writeups. For now, I'm focusing, surprisingly enough, on the positives. It's the first time since 1996 they've been in the postseason, and the first time since 1988 they've won a postseason game of any kind (thank you, Jose Lima).
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