Wednesday, November 30, 2005 |
Pickoff Moves, Bedtime Edition
Simers Uses Tommy Hawkins To Rip McCourt
T.J. Simers, who occaisionally makes himself useful by getting something amusing in the paper, gets in an interview with former Dodger staffer Tommy Hawkins, via The Big Show with Mason and Ireland:...when the "The Big Show with Steve Mason and John Ireland" on 710 called Tuesday afternoon to ask his opinion on which franchise is in worse shape — the Lakers or the Dodgers — Hawkins said he could answer honestly with no bitterness.Much more over there, of course; Hawkins is clearly uncomfortable with Tracy's firing and such, which means the likelihood of his complaining is that much higher. But on the other hand, the "old baseball hand" nonsense strikes me as a little ridiculous; isn't that what brought the Dodgers to this precarious position in the first place? I mean, forget Fox, what prompted Peter O'Malley to sell in the first place?"I'm a loyalist, but also a realist," he said. "I don't have to walk that tightrope anymore; I'm a free agent, a knowledgeable free agent with the opportunity to say things that I've never said before."
Then he told the Mason and Ireland radio audience, "I have never seen an organization in such disarray as the Dodgers.
"This is unbelievably bad," he continued. "Every time I see some of the decisions being made or some of the people that have been fired or some of the people that were brought into positions who have never spent one hour in baseball, I want to throw up."
Hawkins wasn't necessarily breaking new ground, but coming from someone known best for so long for correctly choosing his words, it was a shock.
"I was blown away," Mason said. "This is the nicest guy in the world; I've never heard him say anything bad about anyone, and this was as blistering an attack as I've heard. I guess it reflects how bad things have gotten there.
"When we were doing this show [a few years back], Tommy came in every single week, and while a lot of guys toe the company line on the air but are different off it, he toed the line both on and off the air. He [now] convinced me how rotten things have gotten there."
Manny Unloads His Boston Apartment
The translation of Manny Ramirez to some place besides Beantown proceeds apace, with deadspin.com alerting us to this Boston Globe real estate listing for his penthouse condo. Okay, I'm sold; he's gonna play somewhere else next year. For the Angels? Oh, jeez, I hope they can do something better than that....Under Communism, It's The Reverse
Communism isn't helping to level the playing field in Cuba, according to U. Washington economist Steven Goldsmith. Cuban leagues have less turnover, more concentration of talent in the bigger cities, and compared to the salaries paid by the North American majors, exploit the holy hell out of their players. The situation has gotten so bad that the Cubans, bitten by the emigration of Kendry Morales, have opened up a limited free agency ticket to the major leagues again -- on the condition that the Cuban government gets 80% of their earnings. And you thought your taxes were bad.Quote, Unquote
Having trouble finding managerial candidates, Ned?"The calendar's not in our favor, certainly."What about Bradley?
"At this point in time, I'm open-minded. We'll see how it goes," Colletti said. "He's a very good player."Will you at some point stop adding to the list of mediocre managerial candidates, or have you collected enough already?
"As of right now, I don't have more than five (candidates). To be frank about it, I can't tell you there wouldn't be a sixth. There isn't a sixth right now."Ooh.
Travs Break Ground On New Ballpark
I was kind of shocked to read this AP story reporting the Travs have broken ground on their new North Little Rock digs. I'll have to check it out next time I'm in town. The park is expected to be ready for the 2007 season.
: 12/01/2005 12:36:00 AM
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