Kemp swats Dogs to AFL title
11/12/2005
Matt Kemp, the Arizona Fall League's reigning Offensive Player of the Week, had a .375 batting average on Nov. 4 and managed to raise it by the end of the season.
But he didn't stop there. Leading the Phoenix Desert Dogs on Saturyday, Kemp rolled to the AFL title with a 9-3 victory over the Surprise Scorpions in the AFL Championship Game. Kemp was one of seven postseason all-stars on the Phoenix roster, and went 4-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in the final game. In four games during the week, the 21-year-old outfielder went 6-for-14 with a double, two homers, three runs scored and three RBIs to push his team-high average to .383 for the Desert Dogs. The mark also ranked second in the league.
In 23 games, Kemp had six doubles, three triples, three homers, 16 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Here's how the Dodgers' other prospects performed during the final week of the season, heading into Saturday's AFL championship game between Phoenix and the Surprise Scorpions:
2B Tony Abreu -- The Florida State League batting champion pushed his AFL average over .300 with a solid final week. In four games, Abreu went 6-for-16 with a double, a triple and three runs to finish the season at .305. He went 0-for-3 in the title game.
RHP Beau Dannemiller -- In his only game of the week -- and his first start of the season -- Dannemiller surrendered four runs on six hits in three innings. The performance was right in line with his numbers as he finished the season 1-1 with a 10.54 ERA.
RHP Casey Hoorelbeke -- In 3 2/3 innings spread over three relief appearances, Hoorelbeke gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks. The 25-year-old Californian ended up 1-1 with a 9.39 ERA.
RHP Eric Hull -- Hull tossed five innings to pick up his first win in his final start. The former non-drafted free agent yielded two runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Overall, he was 1-1 with a 3.51 ERA.
3B Andy LaRoche -- LaRoche finished his AFL year with a two-run, two-RBI game in the championship, going deep for the first time in the AFL season. LaRoche hit 30 homers in the Minor Leagues this season but until Saturday had failed to go deep in 91 AFL at-bats. The younger brother of Atlanta Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche put up big numbers, going 4-for-16 in the final week to finish at .352 with nine doubles and 15 RBIs.
1B James Loney -- Loney cooled off after a blistering October, going 4-for-17 with a double, homer and four RBIs. In 15 AFL games, the former first-round draft pick batted .322 with five homers and 17 RBIs. His 1-for-4 game in the championship finished off the season.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
LA well-represented on Frick ballot
11/02/2005
LOS ANGELES -- Nine current and former Dodgers broadcasters are on the ballot for the next Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence.
The Dodgers broadcasters listed are the late Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale; the late Connie Desmond and the late Jerry Doggett; current broadcasters Rick Monday, Charley Steiner and Al Downing; former play-by-play announcer Ross Porter; and longtime Spanish broadcasters Rene Cardenas and Jose Garcia.
Presented annually since 1978 for excellence in baseball broadcasting, the Ford C. Frick Award is given to an active or retired broadcaster with a minimum of 10 years of continuous Major League broadcast service with a club, network, or a combination of the two. Fans will have the opportunity to vote for up to three of the 182 broadcasters eligible for consideration for the 2006 Ford C. Frick Award. Bios of each candidate appear at the site. Fans are allowed to vote once daily. Results will be announced when voting concludes, though updates will not be provided during the voting. The fan selections, along with the full ballot of 10 candidates, will be announced on Dec. 5.
The final ballot will be comprised of the three fan selections, along with seven other candidates, determined by a Hall of Fame staff research team. The Frick electorate includes all living Award winners and six historians appointed by the Hall of Fame.
The voting electorate consists of 20 members, featuring 2005 Ford C. Frick Award winner Jerry Coleman and the other 13 living Frick Award winners: Marty Brennaman, Herb Carneal, Joe Garagiola, Curt Gowdy, Ernie Harwell, Jaime Jarrin, Milo Hamilton, Harry Kalas, Felo Ramirez, Vin Scully, Lon Simmons, Bob Uecker and Bob Wolff. Six historians and veteran media members are also part of the electorate, including Bob Costas (NBC), Barry Horn (Dallas Morning News), Stan Isaacs (formerly of New York Newsday), Ted Patterson (historian), Curt Smith (historian) and Larry Stewart (Los Angeles Times).
Voters are asked to base their selections on the following criteria: longevity; continuity with a club; honors, including national assignments such as the World Series and All-Star Games; and popularity with fans. Paper ballots will be cast by voting members each January and the final results will be announced at the Hall of Fame's Web site in February. Each voter will cast ballots for three candidates and the broadcaster with the most support will be named as that year's award winner, and be honored the following summer at the annual induction ceremony in Cooperstown.
Dodgers broadcasters have won the Frick Award three times -- Red Barber, Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin. Another Hall of Famer, Ernie Harwell, worked in the Dodgers booth for two seasons (1948-49).
Drysdale, already a Hall of Famer from a Dodgers playing career in which he won 209 games, was a broadcaster for 23 years, including the last six with the Dodgers until his sudden death during the 1993 season. He began his announcing career with the Montreal Expos in 1970-71, followed by one year with the Texas Rangers and eight years with the California Angels. He did national telecasts for ABC-TV for a decade beginning in 1977 and broadcast for the Chicago White Sox from 1982-87, then rejoined the Dodgers in 1988, teaming with Vin Scully for six years.
Desmond -- the only announcer to work for the New York Yankees, New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers -- spent 14 years in the Dodgers booth with Barber, Harwell and Scully. The quartet participated in the first coast-to-coast baseball telecast. Desmond began his career as announcer for the Toledo Mud Hens.
Doggett teamed with Scully in the Dodgers announcing booth for 32 years before retiring in 1987. His broadcasting career dated back to 1938 and included 15 years in Dallas before joining the Dodgers in 1956. In addition to baseball, Doggett announced Southwest Conference football, Ryder Cup golf, basketball and hockey. He died in 1997.
Porter shared the booth with Scully for 28 years. He holds the Major League record for the longest consecutive play-by-play by one announcer when he called the action in a 22-inning game between the Dodgers and Expos on Aug. 23, 1989. A play-by-play announcer since the age of 14, the University of Oklahoma graduate is the only broadcaster to have called the action for both a World Series champion (1981 and 1988 Dodgers) and an NCAA basketball champion (1990 UNLV).
Monday, a veteran of 20 seasons on the field, has also been a Major League announcer for 21 years, 17 with the Dodgers. He was nominated for an Emmy as host of the Dodgers' pregame show on KTTV's "Dodger Central" in 1988 and was a color commentator for CBS-TV at the College World Series championship game in 1988.
Steiner just completed his first year as the Dodgers' play-by-play announcer after three seasons with the Yankees on WCBS and the YES Network and 14 years with ESPN. With ESPN, the Emmy-award winning broadcaster served as a SportsCenter anchor, baseball and football commentator, and baseball and boxing reporter. He broadcast baseball on ESPN radio and was a frequent play-by-play commentator for ESPN Major League Baseball broadcasts.
Downing, a winner of 123 games on the mound, moved into the broadcast booth for 26 years, most of them as a commentator for the Dodgers, his current role. He also worked with KABC Radio on Dodgertalk call-in shows, did national broadcasts for CBS for four years and broadcast Atlanta Braves games in 2000.
Cardenas, who retired in 1998 after 21 years of play-by-play, created the first Spanish-language Major League broadcast in 1958 with the Dodgers. He left the organization and duplicated his pioneering achievements with the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers before reuniting with Jarrin and the Dodgers in 1981.
Garcia retired in 1972 after 11 years on the Dodgers' Spanish-speaking broadcast. The native of Nicaragua also broadcast winter league games in Latin America.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Kemp powers Phoenix to AFL title
11/12/2005
PHOENIX -- When two teams in a championship game sport .303 and .309 team batting averages, respectively, the last thing to expect would be a pitchers' battle.
But that's exactly what 2,011 Arizona Fall League fans got at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Saturday, at least for the first 5 1/2 innings. Red-hot Dodgers outfield prospect Matt Kemp finally broke the ice in the bottom of the sixth with a home run to left. That opened the floodgates and allowed the Phoenix Desert Dogs to run away with a 9-3 victory over the Surprise Scorpions in the AFL Championship Game.
For much of the day, Kemp was the Desert Dogs' offense. The right fielder led off and went 4-for-4 with two homers, including the only two hits Phoenix had through five innings.
There were two outs in the top of the sixth when Kemp took an offering from Surprise starter Brian Bass and went deep down the line to left for the first run of the game.
"I was just looking for a ball to hit," Kemp said. "They were calling a lot of balls down low, so I went down and got one."
Kemp already had extended his hitting streak to 16 games in the first inning, but it was his homer that caused an explosion in the Desert Dogs' dugout in what was a surprisingly taut pitchers' duel. Kemp was arguably the hottest hitter in the league coming into this game, and he cemented that tag when he finished off the rout with a moon shot to straightaway center field during a five-run eighth inning.
"I'm just seeing the ball well," said Kemp, who brought his AFL average up to .408. "I'm just picking good pitches and swinging and connecting."
He wasn't the only Dodgers farmhand to connect. Third baseman Andy LaRoche had hit the ball well all fall, carrying a .352 average into the final. But he hadn't gone deep at all, somewhat shocking for a prospect who made the pitching-friendly Florida State League look like Coors Field for much of the 2005 season. He picked a perfect time to end the drought. With Stephen Drew on second base, thanks to a miscommunication by the Scorpions in shallow center field, LaRoche made them pay by going opposite field for his first fall homer.
"All the guys were saying I was saving for it today," LaRoche said. "He gave me a good pitch, I went with it and took it to right field. It felt good."
Few felt better than Desert Dogs manager Scott Little. The man who managed Kemp in Vero Beach all year in the Dodgers system felt particularly proud of his right fielder.
"Nothing Matt Kemp does surprises me," Little said. "He's a great kid, he's a competitor. He's just learning to play the game, so his (ceiling) is endless."
Little believes Kemp should've been celebrating his second ring, not his first.
"The saddest thing for me in Vero is that Matt stayed the whole time when he deserved to move up and be part of what was happening in Jacksonville," Little said. "He could've helped them win a ring there. For him to win one here, that's special."
It's possible none of it would've mattered -- Kemp's two homers, LaRoche's first of the fall, Braves catching prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia's rocket to left-center in that five-run eighth -- if Jamie Shields hadn't continued his run as arguably the best pitcher in the AFL.
"Shields has been awesome," Little said. "He's on the radar now. I had never heard of him (before the AFL). I saw him throw seven times. I'd take him any time. He's a joy to watch."
Shields certainly put on a pitching clinic when it mattered most, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and striking out five and without issuing a walk.
"He threw very well," Kemp said. "He came out and threw strikes and shut down one of the best teams I've ever seen."
Both Shields and Bass clearly didn't get the memo about the high-octane offenses, tossing up zeros until Kemp broke the ice. Bass ended his day having allowed three runs through six innings.
Shields one-upped him. The Devil Rays starter kept the Scorpions' lineup off-balance all afternoon. Using an off-speed pitch that has been there for him all season, he lowered his cumulative AFL ERA to 1.67, striking out 34 and walking only three.
"Right now, it was time to throw all my stuff at them," Shields said. "My changeup has been my out pitch the whole AFL. I'm not going to change the way I pitch, and it worked out well for me."
The Scorpions didn't go down quietly, scoring twice off closer Casey Daigle in the ninth before the Padres' Corey Smith popped out to allow the Desert Dogs to celebrate for the second consecutive season.
With no rest for the weary, many players from both teams will join USA Baseball for the week. Team USA actually has an exhibition game against Team Canada on Sunday. Some players, however, will finally get to go home and reflect on what's been a very long -- and successful -- season.
"It's my second ring so far," LaRoche said. "I couldn't have ended on a better note. It'll be a good carryover until next season."
Source: http://minorleaguebaseball.com/
Colletti next GM candidate for Dodgers
11/10/2005
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Ned Colletti, the assistant general manager of the San Francisco Giants, is the next in line to interview for the Dodgers' open general manager position.
The Dodgers confirmed Colletti's interview on Thursday after the story originally appeared in the morning editions of the Los Angeles Times.
"I'm flattered that they've expressed an interest," Colletti said. "It's one of the great franchises in sports. At the same time, I've got a great job in a great organization with people I've got great respect for and have had a great relationship with for the last 11 years."
Colletti, who has been San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean's assistant for the past nine years, said he was heading to Los Angeles after this week's meeting of general managers in the desert broke up on Thursday, a day earlier than scheduled. Colletti is following former Texas and Cleveland GM John Hart and current Dodgers assistant Kim Ng, who have already been interviewed.
Neither Colletti nor the Dodgers disclosed the date and time of the meeting.
"It's soon," Colletti said.
The Dodgers sought permission from the Giants to talk to Colletti, and it was granted this week.
The team has been searching for someone to replace the deposed Paul DePodesta, who was dismissed two seasons into a five-year contract on Oct. 29 after the team plummeted from a division title in 2004 to a 71-91 record this past season. At the same time, the Dodgers have been without a manager since Jim Tracy left only days after the end of the regular season. Tracy ultimately signed a three-year deal to manage the Pirates.
A Dodgers official said there was no particular timeline for hiring a general manger, although the process might come to a conclusion before Frank and Jamie McCourt leave for the final quarterly owners' meetings of the year, scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday in Milwaukee. The new GM will be charged with replacing Tracy.
Ng and Roy Smith represented the Dodgers at this week's GM meetings. With the free-agent signing period opening on Friday, the next big event for GMs is the annual Winter Meetings, scheduled for Dallas on Dec. 5-8.
Concurrently, the Red Sox are also searching for a GM to replace the departed Theo Epstein. They interviewed three candidates here on Wednesday, including Nationals GM Jim Bowden, and have scheduled former Expos and Orioles executive Jim Beattie for a slot on Friday in Boston.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Casual Friday: No word on GM search
11/11/2005
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers issued no official news on the general manager front Friday, a spokesman saying he was not able to confirm whether San Francisco and Atlanta assistant general managers Ned Colletti and Dayton Moore had been interviewed.
The list of candidates, official and otherwise, is believed to consist of former Boston GM Theo Epstein, former Texas GM John Hart, current Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng and Colletti. Moore's name surfaced in published reports Friday.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers confirmed that they will return to Cashman Field in Las Vegas for the first time since 2003 and participate in the Big League Weekend of exhibition games after they break camp in Vero Beach, Fla., next March.
The Dodgers will host the Mariners on Thursday, March 30, at 7:05 p.m. PT. The Cubs will then face the Padres for two games on Friday, March 31, at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday, April 1, at 1:05 p.m. Ticket prices for the 2006 Big League Weekend will be announced on a later date.
The Dodgers will be making their fourth all-time appearance at Cashman (they defeated Colorado, 5-3, on March 27, 2003, before a sellout crowd of 9,966). LA played exhibition games three straight seasons at Cashman Field (2001-03).
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Mailbag: Can Sanchez close the deal?
11/14/2005
Is Duaner Sanchez capable of being a closer?-- Jason S., Mechanicsville, Va.
Sanchez looked pretty capable while converting all eight of his opportunities after assuming the closer's role from Yhency Brazoban in August. Because he spent three Minor League seasons as a starting pitcher, he has a more varied repertoire than a simple hard-thrower, but he still touches the mid-90s with his fastball. His strikeout total jumped in 2005, an indication that he's learning how to finish off hitters when he makes two-strike pitches. He was resilient enough to pitch in 79 games.
What are the chances of the Dodgers bringing up James Loney to fill their void at first base?-- Eric G., Rapid City, S.D.
Loney, a former first-round draft pick, is only 21 years old. He had a nice bounceback Double-A season in 2005 after an injury-marred year in 2004, and he's carried his improvement into the Arizona Fall League, where he's starting to show the power club officials have anticipated. He's maturing as a hitter the way Jason Repko did with his breakout Arizona Fall League campaign a year ago. That put Repko on the Major League radar, and he parlayed a hot Spring Training into a spot on the Opening Day roster. Loney could do the same, but it would be a stretch for the Dodgers to assume he will be an everyday player in the Major Leagues in 2006 without having seen a pitch at the Triple-A level.
With all the injuries the Dodgers have coming into the offseason (Eric Gagne, J.D. Drew, Milton Bradley, Cesar Izturis, etc.) how are the rehabs coming along?-- Blake W., Isla Vista, Calif.
According to Dodgers officials, there have been no real setbacks with any of them. Gagne and Drew are expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training. Gagne, in particular, was already beginning to toss before the regular season ended. Izturis is said to be ahead of schedule and might be ready before the All-Star break, although occasional setbacks are expected with Tommy John operations once throwing resumes. Bradley also is healing well from knee surgery, although it is unlikely that he will be ready at the start of Spring Training.
What is the timetable on outfielder Matt Kemp reaching the Major Leagues, and how high is his ceiling?-- Jeremy B., Makato, Minn.
Kemp was a sixth-round pick in 2003 out of high school, where his focus was basketball. He had a breakout season at Class-A and rode that momentum right into the Arizona Fall League, where the right-handed hitter recently was named position player of the week. Because of his size (6-foot-4, 210 lbs.) and strong arm, he is projected as a right fielder, although he's athletic enough to play center. He figures to assigned to Double-A Jacksonville in 2006 and not be a Major League factor until 2007 or later.
A lot of the questions from fans seem to be focused on finding a third baseman. Is it just me, or did Willie Aybar settle that issue at the end of last year?-- Clarence D., Los Angeles, Calif.
If you're willing to give a starting job off the play of one September, he did. The problem is, what assurance is there that Aybar will play as well over an entire rookie season as he did over one month, when he often was playing against teams that were using young pitchers as unproven as he? And, even if he handles the position defensively and can make contact with the bat, will he suddenly hit for power, which he hasn't done his entire Minor League career? And if he doesn't hit for power, and neither does the catcher or shortstop, who will, besides Jeff Kent and the corner outfielders, assuming they are healthy? It is one of the intriguing decisions the Dodgers face this winter.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Colletti brings vast experience to LA
11/16/2005
LOS ANGELES -- Ned L. Colletti Jr. is the second former sportswriter to become Dodgers general manager (Fred Claire the other), but he doesn't brag about it.
"That was in another life," he said Wednesday, after being named the 10th GM in Dodgers history and the seventh in the last eight years.
Although it dropped off his media guide bio in 1999, Colletti spent six years on newspapers in Philadelphia and around Chicago before joining the Cubs in 1982 as assistant to public relations director Bob Ibach. At Wrigley Field, he also worked under general manager Dallas Green, with manager Jim Frey and a staff of coaches that included Don Zimmer, Billy Connor, John Vukovich, Jose Martinez and the late Johnny Oates.
In October 1985, he was promoted to director of media relations and added the title of publications director three years later. But in December 1990, he moved on to his second career in the game as the Cubs' director of baseball administration, adding the title of vice president 13 months later.
In 1995, Colletti left to join general manager Bob Quinn and assistant general manager Brian Sabean with the San Francisco Giants, first as special consultant to baseball operations. He took on full-time responsibilities in 1996 as director of Major League administration, assisting in contract negotiation and player procurement.
When Sabean replaced Quinn as general manager at the end of the 1996 season, Colletti followed Sabean as assistant general manager, the role he held until Wednesday.
Colletti, 50, mentioned every one of those names, along with Giants executives Peter Magowan and Larry Baer, during his press conference after apologizing if it sounded like an Academy Award acceptance speech.
He also mentioned managers he's dealt with -- from Dusty Baker and Felipe Alou in recent Giants days to Frey and Zimmer -- as major influences in his 25-year career.
"This is one of the proudest days of my life, if not the proudest," Colletti said. "From humble beginnings ... I find myself in one of the greatest places, Dodger Stadium, with one of the greatest franchises of all-time."
He thanked Sabean for granting him broad autonomy so he could learn his craft and for a relationship "as close as two can be without being brothers."
He wears the National League championship ring the Giants received for their 2002 season, which ended with a World Series loss to the Angels.
"It shows you've been around something special," he explained.
Colletti, seeming at ease in front of the bright lights and cameras, gave a quick recap of his life. His family of four lived in a remodeled garage in a Chicago suburb, then moved to a four-room house ("not four bedrooms, just four rooms") wedged between an airport and railroad tracks. His father died of lung cancer at 51; his brother is a radio broadcaster for the Bears.
"We had no money, but a lot of love," he said. "I take nothing for granted. I was street smart since I was a little kid. I know who's right and wrong, who I can trust and who I can't. I can separate the good from bad, the winners from losers."
Obviously, he made an impression on chairman Frank McCourt.
"He has character, integrity, honesty, loyalty. ... He's trustworthy and accountable," McCourt said. "He respects the game. His values jumped off the page to me."
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Dodgers tab Colletti as new GM
11/16/2005
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers raided the front office of the archrival San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, hiring Ned Colletti as their general manager.
Colletti, 50, will be introduced at a press conference at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday morning.
Colletti had been vice president and assistant general manager to Brian Sabean for the past nine seasons. Granted broad authority by Sabean, Colletti's duties with the Giants have included assisting in the acquisition of players, overseeing waiver and rule compliance, formulating salary arbitration cases and managing roster payroll.
Prior to joining the Giants in 1994, Colletti worked 12 years for the Chicago Cubs, in the media relations and baseball operations departments. There he conducted contract negotiations, helped prepare salary arbitration cases and assisted in player acquisitions.
Colletti replaced Paul DePodesta, who at age 31 was hired shortly after Frank and Jamie McCourt purchased the club from News Corp. DePodesta, signed to a five-year contract on the eve of the 2004 season, was dismissed 2 1/2 weeks ago, three weeks after manager Jim Tracy exercised an escape clause in his contract, citing philosophical differences with the general manager.
DePodesta launched a search for a manager, interviewing five candidates, although farm director Terry Collins was known to be his first choice. McCourt interceded, interviewing former Dodger and Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser. Less than a week later, DePodesta was dismissed, and the manager search was shelved pending the hiring of a general manager.
At the press conference announcing DePodesta's dismissal, McCourt said that the traits he would look for in a general manager were leadership, a keen eye for baseball talent, communication skills and experience. Colletti, with 24 seasons in baseball, seems to fit the profile.
Although the Giants finished only four games ahead of the Dodgers in 2005, they have averaged 91 wins a year, dating back to 1997. San Francisco won the division in 1997, 2000 and 2003, and the National League pennant in 2002, losing to the Angels in the World Series.
If McCourt's interviewing of Hershiser is an indication of where the managerial search will lead, it should be noted that Hershiser pitched for the Giants in 1998, and Colletti worked on his contract. Another candidate interviewed by DePodesta was Ron Wotus, the bench coach for Colletti with the Giants.
Colletti also has a history with All-Star second baseman Jeff Kent, who met with ownership just before DePodesta's dismissal after telling teammates that he would request a trade if the club wasn't committed to winning immediately. Colletti was involved in the trade that sent Kent to the Giants from Cleveland in 1997.
Colletti inherits a team that went 71-91 in 2005, the second-worst record for a Dodger club since the team moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn. The offense finished 15th of 16 in team average, the pitching 12th in team ERA. Injuries decimated the roster and resulted in operations for closer Eric Gagne, All-Star shortstop Cesar Izturis, and outfielders J.D. Drew and Jayson Werth.
Of immediate concern, Colletti must decide whether to pursue his free agents -- primarily Jeff Weaver, Olmedo Saenz, Elmer Dessens and Paul Bako -- as well as free agents from outside the organization. The removal from the payroll of Darren Dreifort, Shawn Green and, possibly, Weaver would free up money to acquire talent.
Internally, Colletti must decide who will fill the corner infield positions and what the future holds for center fielder Milton Bradley, among other issues.
Colletti will be the seventh person to fill the role of Dodgers general manager in the last eight years and the 10th in Los Angeles Dodgers history. A native of Chicago and graduate of Northern Illinois University, he has authored four books.
The Dodgers also considered for the job former Boston GM Theo Epstein, new Philadelphia GM Pat Gillick, former Texas GM John Hart and current Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng. At last week's general managers meetings, the Dodgers were represented by Ng and Roy Smith, the vice president of scouting and player development.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Colletti continues manager search
11/19/2005
LOS ANGELES -- Having interviewed Jim Fregosi for the vacant manager's job and holding his first sit-down meeting with farm director Terry Collins in Florida on Saturday, new Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said he would return to Los Angeles with his top lieutenants Sunday to continue the search for a manager.
That search, Colletti said, will not include former Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella, who told Colletti Saturday he was "flattered" at the Dodgers' interest, but "his batteries were low right now" after three 90-loss seasons with the Devil Rays.
"He said it wasn't the right time," said Colletti. "He said a year from now he'd be all over it. But he didn't know if he could do it justice."
On the other hand, the 3 1/2-hour meeting Colletti had with Fregosi indicates the Atlanta Braves special assistant appears the front-runner for the job.
The 63-year-old Fregosi, who has managed four clubs over 15 Major League seasons, worked with Colletti as a special assistant to the GM with the Giants. Joining Colletti in Saturday's interview was Dodger vice president and assistant GM Kim Ng, vice president of player development Roy Smith and scouting director Logan White.
"It was a positive meeting, a good exchange of ideas," Colletti said of Fregosi's interview. "We've worked together, but we've never talked the way we spoke today."
Colletti -- utilizing a trip for the wedding of former boss Brian Sabean to meet with Florida residents Fregosi and Collins -- said he is compiling a short list of additional candidates and could begin requesting permission from clubs to speak with them as early as Sunday.
Whether Collins, 56, will be a candidate is still to be determined. A Major League manager of two clubs for six seasons, he was the apparent choice of general manager Paul DePodesta to replace Jim Tracy, who left at season's end, citing philosophical differences with DePodesta. But chairman Frank McCourt dismissed DePodesta three weeks ago and suspended the manager search.
Collins has received considerable credit in the industry for his role in the resurrection of the Dodgers farm system. Colletti said there were two meetings with Collins on Saturday, a briefing on the farm system that included his top staffers, followed by a one-on-one.
"That was more introductory, Terry and I," Colletti said. "I know him, but I don't really know him. It matched a face and a philosophy. I think it was good for both of us. I'm well aware of what has happened. I respect him as a baseball guy and I'm compassionate about what his life has been like the last three or four weeks."
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Dodgers mulling manager options
11/20/2005
LOS ANGELES -- New Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti did not make contact with any additional managerial candidates Sunday, instead meeting with his top aides and flying back from Florida.
Colletti said he met for four hours with vice presidents Kim Ng and Roy Smith and scouting director Logan White, whittling down a list of manager candidates and exchanging ideas on the signing of free agents. That includes Dodger free agents Jeff Weaver, Olmedo Saenz and Elmer Dessens,
Colletti already has interviewed Jim Fregosi for the manager job that's been vacant for six weeks and was told by Lou Piniella that he's not interested at this time. Colletti said he had not yet asked any other clubs for permission to discuss the job with their employees, but that could happen Monday.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Suns scorch Minor Leagues in 2005
11/14/2005
Every so often, a tremendously talented team comes along. A veritable All-Star team onlookers will call it. Whether it's remembered past a given year often depends on whether that club can parlay that talent into a championship.
The 1998 Yankees, for instance, will likely have a long legacy. The 2001 Mariners, not so much.
That's what made the 2005 Jacksonville Suns such a special team. Stacked with perhaps the most legitimate young prospects a Minor League club has ever seen, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers lived up to its promise by winning the Southern League title. It's for that reason the Suns have been chosen as the MiLB.com 2005 Overall and Double-A Team of the Year.
Jacksonville beat out some stiff competition for the overall award: the Toledo Mud Hens, winners of the International League title and the MiLB.com Triple-A Team of the Year Award; the Indianapolis Indians, a talent-laden team which saw most of its players get called up to Pittsburgh; the Arkansas Travelers, perhaps the Texas League's equivalent to the Suns talent-wise; the San Jose Giants, winners of the California League championship, and the Midwest League champion South Bend Silver Hawks.
At the Double-A level, the Suns edged out the Travs; the Midland RockHounds, the team that actually won the Texas League title; the Eastern League champion Akron Aeros, the EL runners-up Portland Sea Dogs and the team Jacksonville beat in the Southern League championship, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx.
"Coming out of Spring Training, the core of the team, we saw the talent we had there, we saw what we could do during the year," Suns first baseman James Loney said. "Most of us were there together throughout the whole year and stayed there for a championship. It was just a fun year overall."
Loney was just one of many young and talented players who contributed to the championship run. Youthfulness seems to have been a team theme: The first baseman is just 21 years old, with shortstop Joel Guzman only 20 and catcher Russ Martin, 22. The Suns started the year with 23-year-old second baseman Delwyn Young, and third baseman Andy LaRoche turned 21 in September. Infielder Tony Abreu's only 20.
With the help of veteran infielders such as Todd Donovan, Jon Weber and Ty Meadows, the Suns offense finished near the top of the Southern League in just about every offensive category.
That's not to say there was no pitching on this club. The staff was anchored by ace Chad Billingsley, who turned 21 in late July, and the ball was given to Luis Gonzalez (22) and Jonathan Broxton (21 in June) in the late innings. The end result? A 3.91 ERA, third in the league, and a league-best 1114 strikeouts.
"We had the speed, the pitching, the defense, the bullpen and the power everywhere we needed it," Loney said. "It was a great feeling."
"Just looking back on the talent we had on that team, it was incredible, with the whole young infield we had and the outfield with the veterans leading the way," LaRoche added. "With the pitching staff, every aspect of our game was phenomenal on that team this year."
And they didn't exactly do it under the radar. Most of these 20-somethings are on top prospects list somewhere, and in August Baseball America named the Suns the "Most Talented Team in Minor League Baseball." That more or less amounted to a big target on Jacksonville's back.
"I think most guys knew that most teams, once the (Baseball America) article came out, were trying to beat us," Loney said. "But we never pressed. We kept playing our game. If somebody didn't do something, the next guy picked him up. It's definitely one of the best teams I've ever played on."
Some teams would find the pressure from such a label too difficult to deal with. But with this Suns team, they believed it. Rather than finding it too difficult to live up to, they used that celebrated talent to make the job easier for each individual.
"For me, it's easier," Martin said sincerely after winning the SL championship. "You know your teammates are going to pick you up. You know they can do the job. It's easier than if you have a couple of prospects and they have to carry the load. We've got a lot of guys who can play. Everybody does their job and it worked out in the end."
Whether or not this championship run is the end for this core remains to be seen. Most of them have been playing together for a few years in the Dodgers system, and this was the first time they were able to carry it all the way through to a title. Martin hopes it's just the beginning. LaRoche would love for it to continue, but knows that baseball doesn't always work that way.
"It's only been a couple of years and it seems like we're really coming together," Martin said. "Hopefully, we can keep this group together all the way up to the big leagues. Hopefully we can carry this attitude up to the big leagues."
"I'll always remember that team," LaRoche said. "Chances are, guys will get separated, whether it's by trade or free agency. I'll always remember it as one of the greatest teams I've ever played on and one of the most talented by far."
Source: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/
Colletti brings stability to Dodgers
11/16/2005
Frank McCourt's constant retooling of the Los Angeles Dodgers front office over the last year has left his human resources department with a truckload of overtime stubs and his fans with a truckload of concerns.
But Wednesday's announcement of the hiring of respected, veteran baseball man Ned Colletti as the team's new general manager should do a lot to get the storied franchise and its large fan base back on the road to respectability.
The recent backstory is not so pretty. The banged-up Dodgers lost 91 games last year in McCourt's sophomore year as team owner, and the consistent dependability that the franchise seemed to represent for decades started to slip a little bit. There was plenty of fallout, too.
Manager Jim Tracy and the club agreed to part ways at the end of the season. Soon after, general manager Paul DePodesta, the Harvard whiz-kid and supporting star to Oakland A's super-GM Billy Beane, was dismissed by McCourt despite being given a five-year contract at the age of 31 before the 2004 season.
So, after the Dodgers finished their most disappointing season in recent memory, there was no manager and no GM.
No problem.
The Dodgers were in need of stability, and they got it.
Colletti, 50, is as "old-school" as DePodesta was new and will bring time-honored traits that might have gotten lost in the shuffle over the last two years.
He's been in baseball for 24 years, almost half of his life, and has done just about everything a front office employee can do. For the last nine years, he was the assistant to San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean. In that role, Colletti did a lot of the dirty work, hammering out salary arbitration cases, managing payroll and assisting in the acquisition of players.
Before joining the Giants, Colletti was in the media relations and baseball operations departments of the Chicago Cubs.
Most important, Colletti has been a winner.
The Giants have averaged 91 wins a year dating back to 1997, and Colletti was a big part of San Francisco's division championship clubs in 1997, 2000 and 2003. He also was there for the team's Wild Card run and National League pennant in 2002, when the Giants fell to the Angels in seven games in the World Series.
"This guy's been affiliated with winners all his life, and consistent winners," McCourt said. "The record, I think, speaks for itself."
So does Colletti's hardscrabble, poverty-stricken upbringing on the outskirts of Chicago.
"I've had to be street smart since I was a little kid," Colletti said. "I've had to know who's right, who's wrong, who's pulling my leg, who's got integrity, who I can trust. I've had to live that way my entire life, and because of it, I've been able to separate the good from the bad, the true from the false, the winners from the losers, the champions from the also-rans."
Colletti is going to have to do a lot of that in his new post, and he's going to be expected to get a lot of it done quickly.
The 2005 Dodgers were decimated by injuries, which led to a team batting average that ranked 15th in the 16-team NL and a team ERA that ranked 12th.
Now Colletti has to rebuild, and he said he'll be asking a lot of questions in the next few weeks.
First, he'll have to find a manager.
DePodesta interviewed five candidates, including Terry Collins, before McCourt interviewed Rangers pitching coach and former Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser.
And then there's personnel to think about. The Dodgers have several free agents -- Jeff Weaver, Olmedo Saenz, Elmer Dessens and Paul Bako -- to consider from their own roster and other decisions to make regarding first base, third base and enigmatic center fielder Milton Bradley.
"We need to get to work," Colletti said. "There's a lot of work to do. There's a lot of philosophical discussions I need to have with the baseball staff to really determine how far off the young players are.
"For me, that's one of the most important decisions we're going to make in the next few months -- as to who to get involved with via trade or free agency and their shelf life to be productive versus the up-and-coming kid and knowing when they're ready to step in and be a big-time player at Dodger Stadium."
There's no doubt Colletti will be working hard to get this situation back on track, which is something Dodgers fans will appreciate after the ups and downs that have so far defined the McCourt era.
According to the owner, Colletti has it all.
"He has a high level of integrity, he's honest, hard-working, energetic, trustworthy, loyal, takes responsibility, accountable, loves and respects the game, loves and respects people," McCourt said.
For the Dodgers and their fans, it sounds like a heck of a start.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
A Thanksgiving to Remember
November 21, 2005
On behalf of the Dodger organization, and all of our fans, I would like all of the men and women in the armed services, both at home and abroad, to know we are thinking of you, and praying for you during this Thanksgiving holiday. Your commitment to service, and freedom, is only bested by your bravery.
As we sit down at the table this weekend, lets all give thanks where it is most due.
Tonight, at Dodger Stadium, I joined Los Angeles City Council members Ed Reyes and Eric Garcetti in handing out 500 free turkeys to pre-selected families. It felt good to help those in need. My father always used to tell my brothers and me that it doesn’t cost you a nickel to be nice to other people. We put smiles on a lot of faces, and we hope those families have a wonderful holiday.
Speaking of good Thanksgiving stories, I remember one year I was going to meet a friend for lunch a couple days before Turkey Day. While I was waiting, I decided to get my shoes shined. A lady named Betty was doing the shining, and while she brushed away I asked if she was going to have a big Thanksgiving. She looked up at me and said that she wasn’t going to celebrate the holiday because she couldn’t afford a turkey.
I looked at her and said, “I’m going to get you the best turkey ever.”
Simultaneously, a man asked me for my autograph. Instead of just giving the man an autograph I would only sign for five dollars. But instead of giving the money to me, I told the man to give it to Betty. Another person asked for an autograph and I made the same deal; five more dollars for Betty. After about twenty minutes of signing autographs for five dollars a pop, we collected $180.
I looked at Betty and said, “Now you can go have the best Thanksgiving you’ve ever had, and eat all the turkey you want.”
It’s all about making people happy.
Source: http://tommy.mlblogs.com/
Colletti introduced as Dodgers GM
11/16/2005
LOS ANGELES -- One search down, one to go.
Dodgers chairman Frank McCourt introduced Ned Colletti as his new general manager on Wednesday, bringing over the previous assistant general manager of the archrival Giants.
Colletti signed a four-year contract, and his first assignment is to find a field manager, and quickly. A longtime baseball official who values a traditional approach to the game, Colletti said he already has a short list of potential candidates and it's likely to include longtime managers Lou Piniella and Jim Fregosi.
After the unexpected dismissal of 32-year-old Paul DePodesta and an 18-day process to find a replacement, McCourt chose Colletti over Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng. McCourt said Colletti satisfied the four criteria he spelled out the day DePodesta was dismissed -- leadership, talent evaluation, baseball experience and communication skills.
Especially communication skills.
"Ned and I hit it off," said McCourt. "We had chemistry immediately and that's a very good sign. It's a big piece of building a successful team. Our goal is to have sustained winning, and now we have the person in place that will allow us to do that. He's the best guy for the job."
McCourt, calling the 50-year-old "my baseball guy," said Colletti will be the "point person" in the search to find a replacement for manager Jim Tracy, who left at season's end, citing philosophical differences with DePodesta. Tracy ultimately was hired to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"I'm relying on Ned -- it's his responsibility to run the baseball operation," McCourt said of Colletti's task in finding a manager. "When it gets down to two or three, unless he feels there's an obvious choice, we'll sit down."
McCourt said the manager should be "somebody who, when the game is on the line, brings victory home for us. Somebody who brings people together, who's a good collaborator, an experienced person who knows how to win."
It is believed that DePodesta's search to replace Tracy, which was leading toward farm director Terry Collins, was the final straw in the deterioration of his relationship with McCourt, who personally intervened and interviewed former Dodgers Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser days before dismissing DePodesta.
Hershiser might still wind up in the organization, but Colletti's comments indicated a preference for someone with the managing experience of a Piniella or Fregosi as compared to Hershiser, who is the Texas Rangers pitching coach, but has never managed at any level. Colletti negotiated Hershiser's contract when he became a Giant in 1998.
"You need a great leader who has won, who knows how to win the last game of the season, who can relate to every player young and old, who won't be outmaneuvered by the other manager," said Colletti. "Somebody well-rounded who will communicate with me daily. We won't manage the manager, but we have to all know what we're doing."
Piniella, who left the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last month, has managed five teams over 19 seasons in the Major Leagues, taking the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series title in 1990. One of Piniella's closest allies is Lee Elia, a mentor of Colletti.
Fregosi has managed four teams (including the Angels) over 15 seasons in the Major Leagues, taking the Phillies to the World Series in 1993. He last managed Toronto in 1999-2000 and has been a special assignment scout with Atlanta for three years. Prior to that, he worked with Colletti in San Francisco as special assistant to the general manager.
McCourt and Colletti would not say how the 2006 payroll would compare to the roughly $80 million the Dodgers spent in 2005, when they were decimated by injuries and went 71-91, the second-worst mark since the team moved from Brooklyn.
McCourt said Colletti would have "whatever resources it takes to win," while Colletti said if he finds the right players "to take us to the top, come to [McCourt], and if it's the right thing, he'll do it.
"If I didn't think we had the resources to do it in a classy, thorough, consistent way, I wouldn't be here," Colletti said. "I believe in what I've heard."
Colletti said "a foundation" was in place for the Dodgers to reclaim the top spot in the division, but as currently constructed, the roster needs resolution of the corner infield spots, starting pitching and outfield. He said he was open to free agents for the short- and long-term, as well as handing over a job or two to the young players.
"We have to be building and winning at the same time," he said, citing an abundant farm system that might deliver legitimate prospects as soon as 2006. "We may have big-league stars there and you don't want to hold them back."
Colletti was involved in the Giants' acquisition of Jeff Kent from Cleveland and he spoke favorably of the second baseman he also sarcastically referred to as "Mr. Chuckles" for his sour reputation. Kent met with ownership just before DePodesta was dismissed after telling teammates he would ask for a trade if the club wasn't committed to winning immediately.
He sidestepped a question about the future role of center fielder Milton Bradley, who is recovering from a knee operation but also had a run-in with Kent last season.
Colletti, who apprenticed as the right-hand man of San Francisco GM Brian Sabean for nine years, said he places a priority on players who stay healthy, although he implied that the Dodgers' problems in recent years ran deeper than the wave of injuries that hit in 2005.
"You came to Dodger Stadium in the late 80s, they were well prepared, they could beat you a number of ways, they played to the end, they had a great manager who put pressure on the other team's weaknesses and the players bought into it.
"I don't see that all the time the last few years. I rarely feared coming in here. Inner intuition is what I'm getting into. We've lost some of that over here. It's not as poignant, not as prominent as it once was. The upside is that this can be one of the great franchises of all time."
He also said statistics play a role in his decision-making, but not necessarily a large one.
"They are a piece of the puzzle, but just part of it," he said. "There's character, work ethic, credibility, approach to life. And at the end of the day, you look at the stats, but they don't tell the story."
Ng, who has three years remaining on her contract, attended the press conference and said she would remain with the organization.
"I've been here for four years and I want to be part of it," said Ng, who was hired by former GM Dan Evans. "There are a lot of good things happening here on the baseball side."
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Colletti to meet with Collins, Fregosi
11/18/2005
LOS ANGELES -- Atlanta Braves special assignment scout Jim Fregosi said he will be interviewed on Saturday in Florida by new Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti for the vacant manager job.
Colletti, hired Wednesday, is in Florida to attend the wedding of his former boss, San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean. He also has made contact with Lou Piniella, who was recently bought out of the last year of a contract to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but Piniella described his interest in the Dodgers job as minimal to the Los Angeles Times.
Colletti also will meet with Dodgers Minor League director Terry Collins, although it is not clear if Collins is being considered for the manager's job. Collins, who lives in Florida, has managed two teams (also including the Angels) over six seasons in the Major Leagues. He last managed the Angels in 1999 and was one of three finalists -- and GM Paul DePodesta's choice -- to replace Dodgers manager Jim Tracy, who left at the end of the season. When DePodesta was dismissed, the manager search process was suspended.
Fregosi has managed four teams (including the Angels) over 15 seasons in the Major Leagues, taking the Phillies to the World Series in 1993. He last managed Toronto in 1999-2000 and has been a special assignment scout with Atlanta for the last three years. Prior to that, he worked with Colletti in San Francisco as special assistant to the general manager. Fregosi said the Dodgers received permission from the Braves to interview him.
Collins, who with scouting director Logan White has received industry praise for the farm system's dramatic revival, said he wasn't sure if his meeting with Colletti will be an interview for the manager job or a briefing in his role as farm director. Collins just returned from a scouting trip in the Dominican Republic.
While the Dodgers continue their search for a manager, the club added five prospects to the 40-man roster on Thursday, protecting them from being taken at next month's Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings.
Those added were first baseman James Loney, third baseman Andy LaRoche, infielder Joel Guzman, right-handed pitcher Jose Diaz and left-handed pitcher Greg Miller.
Loney, a first-round pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, rebounded from an injury-plagued 2004 season to hit .284 with 11 homers, 31 doubles and 65 RBIs at Double-A Jacksonville. The 21-year-old carried that progress into the recently concluded Arizona Fall League, where he hit five homers in 59 at-bats.
LaRoche, 22, was named the organization's position player of the year for hitting a combined 30 home runs with 94 RBIs while splitting time between Class A Vero Beach and Double-A Jacksonville. He hit .352 in the Arizona Fall League.
Guzman, the 6-fort-6 shortstop who turns 21 later this month, spent the entire season at Double-A Jacksonville, where he hit .287 with 16 home runs, 31 doubles and 75 RBIs. He's currently playing the corner infield positions in the Dominican Republic.
Diaz is 21 years old, 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, earning the nickname Jumbo. Coming off Tommy John surgery on his elbow, he threw only 17 2/3 innings this year but was clocked at 99 mph.
Miller, considered one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in the game two years ago, is coming off a series of shoulder operations and was shut down in the Arizona Fall League with more discomfort, but it was diagnosed as minor and he is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training with a lower arm slot. He made 19 appearances this year and just turned 21.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Five prospects added to 40-man roster
11/18/2005
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers on Thursday added five of their finest prospects to the 40-man roster, protecting them from being taken at next month's Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings.
Those added were first baseman James Loney, third baseman Andy LaRoche, infielder Joel Guzman, right-handed pitcher Jose Diaz and left-handed pitcher Greg Miller.
Loney, a first-round draft pick in 2002, rebounded from an injury-plagued 2004 season to hit .284 with 11 homers, 31 doubles and 65 RBIs at Double-A Jacksonville. The 21-year-old carried that progress into the Arizona Fall League, where he hit five homers in 59 at-bats.
LaRoche, 22, was named the organization's position player of the year for hitting a combined 30 home runs with 94 RBIs, splitting time between Single-A Vero Beach and Double-A Jacksonville. Then he hit .352 in the Arizona Fall League.
Guzman, a 6-foot-6 shortstop who turns 21 later this month, spent the entire season at Double-A Jacksonville, where he hit .287 with 16 home runs, 31 doubles and 75 RBIs. He's currently playing the corner infield positions in the Dominican Republic.
Diaz is 21, 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, earning the nickname Jumbo. Coming off Tommy John surgery, he threw only 17 2/3 innings this year but was clocked at 99 mph.
Miller, considered one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in the game two years ago, is coming off a series of shoulder operations and was shut down in the Arizona Fall League with more discomfort, but it was diagnosed as minor and he is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training with a lower arm slot. He made 19 appearances this year and just turned 21.
On the manager front, Lou Piniella and Jim Fregosi continue to be considered the front-runners on new general manager Ned Colletti's short list, although the club would not confirm contact was made with either.
Colletti headed to Florida on Thursday to attend the weekend wedding of former boss and San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean, but Piniella and Fregosi both live in Florida.
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Dodgers talk trade with Marlins
11/22/2005
LOS ANGELES -- New Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said on Monday he still had not requested permission to talk about the vacant manager job with employees of other teams, but he did say he spoke with Florida Marlins GM Larry Bienfest about possible trades.
Of course, that news should liven up Paul Lo Duca fans that have never recovered from his trade in 2004. If the Marlins continue a salary-dump dispersal of players, the ones who would seem to be of greatest value to the Dodgers are first baseman Carlos Delgado and outfielder Juan Pierre.
"We'll see how that develops," Colletti said, without mentioning names. "He knows our interest, and we'll talk in the future."
Colletti might be a rookie as the main man, but he sidestepped specifics like a veteran, offering no insight on the players he would target in trades or free agent signings.
As he did when he was hired nearly a week ago, Colletti said payroll is not currently an issue.
"I've conversed with Frank and Jamie McCourt about who I think we need to help us," he said. "I haven't been told to slow down, stop, turn around."
He said ownership has not given him a payroll limit and he said he doesn't "have a need for a direct number right now."
Colletti indicated the top front office aides he inherited from Paul DePodesta -- vice presidents Kim Ng and Roy Smith, farm director Terry Collins and scouting director Logan White -- remain in place.
"We're all pulling together," he said. "We're all getting to know each other. It's full-steam ahead. We have a lot of work to do together. I'm relying on them. They're part of the team. I don't have plans to do anything else. I really haven't given it much thought."
Collins, who appeared in line to become manager until DePodesta was dismissed, drew additional praise from Colletti, although it remains unclear whether Collins is a candidate again. The only confirmed managerial candidate is Jim Fregosi, who was interviewed on Saturday.
"He's done a great job with the farm system," Colletti said of Collins. "Terry and his group have been incredible in the development phase. I can't say enough good things about him. That said, I'm still not sure about the managerial part of it. We'll have to see how that goes."
Source: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
The highlights
11/04/2005
BASEBALL
YOUNT TO REJOIN BREWERS: Hall of Famer Robin Yount is expected to rejoin the Milwaukee Brewers as their bench coach. The team scheduled a news conference for today but did not provide any other details. Several media outlets reported last night that Milwaukee was expected to name Yount its new bench coach for manager and former teammate Ned Yost.
DODGERS EYE HART AS GM: The Los Angeles Dodgers received permission to interview former Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers general manager John Hart for their vacant GM job, and also plan to discuss the position with current club executive Kim Ng. Hart resigned as general manager of the Rangers on Oct. 4 and was succeeded by assistant GM Jon Daniels. Hart remains under contract with Texas as a consultant.
DESSENS BECOMES FREE AGENT: Pitcher Elmer Dessens declined his option for 2006 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and filed for free agency. The 34-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 3.56 ERA in seven starts and 21 relief appearances last seasons. His ERA was the lowest on the Dodgers' staff among pitchers who pitched 20 innings or more.
CASTILLA TRADED TO PADRES: Third baseman Vinny Castilla was traded by the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres for right-hander Brian Lawrence and cash. The move paves the way for Ryan Zimmerman, the No. 4 overall pick in June's amateur draft, to start at third for the Nationals next season.
PADRES MAKE MOVES: Glenn Hoffman, the older brother of free agent closer Trevor Hoffman, was hired as third base coach of the San Diego Padres. The Padres also promoted Tye Waller to first base coach and Paul Navarro to assistant trainer. Hoffman replaces Rob Picciolo and Waller replaces Davey Lopes. Picciolo and Lopes were fired on Oct. 14.
GOODEN GETS PROBATION: Former baseball star Dwight Gooden was sentenced to three years' probation after pleading guilty to speeding away from police following a traffic stop last August. The 40-year-old ex-pitcher will remain for an indefinite time at a drug treatment facility where he has spent the past month and a half. "I'm very sorry for these actions," Gooden told Judge Nick Nazaretian. "And I thank the state for giving me the opportunity to get along with my life." Gooden pleaded guilty to a felony count of fleeing police, misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and obstruction and to an unrelated charge of hitting his girlfriend.
U.S. TEAM PLAYERS NAMED: Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver and New York Mets outfielder Lastings Milledge were among 24 players picked for the U.S. baseball team. The club, managed by Davey Johnson, will compete in qualifiers this month for the 2008 Olympics. Six of the players appeared in the major leagues this year: Kansas City pitcher Jonah Bayliss, Washington infielder Brendan Harris, Angels catcher Jeff Mathis, Seattle pitcher Clint Nageotte, Colorado infielder Ryan Shealy and Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino.
Source: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/
Glam fashions light up the night
11/04/2005
From plunging necklines to thrift-store mishmash, the fashions worn on the green carpet at the 6th Annual Latin Grammy Awards seemed to come straight off the racks of either Hugo Boss or the hipper Urban Outfitters.
Singer-songwriter Bebe preened for the cameras in her signature hand-me-down garb, a theme carried by some in the rocker crowd - especially the guys, who favored the simple sneaker, jeans and sport-coat look.
With a crown of braids, San Diego-born Julieta Venegas took the throwback look one step further, wearing a pink retro-style knee-length pencil dress and patched shrug. She literally wore the designer on her arm - one of Los Angeles' hottest stylists, Louis Verdad, her companion for the evening.
Elsewhere on the carpet, somebody forgot to tell the Miami-based alt-rocker JD Natasha that Halloween was over. The usually trendy-looking teen opted for more of a "Bride of Frankenstein" look, with a blond mohawk and slinky dress. And Italian pop artist Laura Pausini, with her heavily lined eyes and long formless dress, looked like she belonged in "The Addams Family."
But that's OK. There was plenty of glamour to go around.
Telenovela star Patricia Manterola appeared like a bronzed beauty in her over-the-shoulder cocoa-color sequined dress.
Argentine singer Gizelle D'Cole wore a form-fitting, floor-length dress covered in quarter-size gold sequins. But it was elegance that Salma Hayek was after, opting for a simple black Dolce & Gabbana with lace overlay, her hair rolling down her back.
And for more than a few, clothes were much more than a fashion statement. Jorge Villamizar, lead singer of the rock group Bacilos, plucked out of his closet the same plain black blazer he wore when he won at the 2003 Grammys, adding a loud powder pink-and-blue-striped tie to the lucky, all black outfit.
Norteo singer Michael Salgado twisted the image of the regional singer's ornate suits with his black blazer glittered in gold, calling his look a "rocker with banda," referring to the regional music genre.
The sibling duo Akwid balked at all the high-fashion sense, wearing starched swap meet-purchased T-shirts and baseball jerseys. One brother wore a red Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim jersey while the other wore a blue Los Angeles Dodgers jersey. Reggaeton star Don Omar flashed a bit, with thick silver chains, a gray pinstriped pant and vest suit, and a gaudy silver blazer to accent his pastel tie. Some attendees, however, simply didn't take any chances, wearing rosaries around their necks.
Source: http://dailynews.com/
Los Angeles Versus Anaheim: Cities Clash in NFL Bid (Update1)
Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is battling neighboring Anaheim in a bid for a National Football League team, 11 years after the Raiders went home to Oakland and the Rams moved to St. Louis.
Villaraigosa, who took office in July, is offering as much as $48 million a year in tax income from a refurbished Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to improve the area around the stadium. Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle declined to describe the inducements he may promise, spokesman John Nicoletti said.
Returning professional football to the area, the second- biggest media market in the U.S., would mean new fans and additional advertising revenue for the NFL. For the neighborhood around the Coliseum, construction and game-day concessions would bring jobs. Villaraigosa would get to claim credit for burnishing the city's status and bolstering its economy.
``If the mayor brought a team here, he'd have an early accomplishment to add to his resume,'' said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, who teaches at the University of Southern California's School of Policy, Planning and Development in Los Angeles.
Villaraigosa, 52, told an Oct. 20 press conference he expects an NFL decision early next year.
``I look forward to attending the kick-off for the 2009 season at the Coliseum,'' the Democratic mayor wrote to Councilman Bernard Parks and Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas on Oct. 24, praising their efforts to lure a team to Los Angeles.
His plans may run up against skepticism from the NFL, given Los Angeles's history with the league, said Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based Sportscorp Ltd. In 1994, the city lost the Raiders, who went on to a losing effort in the championship Super Bowl in 2003. In 1999, Los Angeles failed to land an expansion team that went to Houston as the Texans.
`Shot Itself'
``The leadership in Los Angeles has shot itself in the foot many times,'' said Ganis, who has consulted on the relocation of three pro football teams. This time, Villaraigosa's commitment to the project may make the difference, he said.
``You have a mayor who seems to get it,'' said Ganis. ``The conventional wisdom right now is probably that the L.A. Coliseum will get a team.''
The NFL, the most popular U.S. sports league with a total of 32 teams in two conferences, has an incentive to return, said Neal Pilson, president of Pilson Communications, a Chappaqua, New York- based consulting firm. Television ratings for professional football games are falling in Los Angeles and merchandise and licensing revenue lag behind other cities, he said.
Los Angeles and the state of California have agreed to dedicate a portion of tax revenue from a pro-football stadium in the city to improving infrastructure around the stadium, said Eric Boyd, Ridley-Thomas's district director. That cut of the taxes has been estimated at $28 million to $48 million a year, he said.
More Sophisticated
Los Angeles's past experiences with the NFL have made it more sophisticated, said Parks, whose district encompasses the Coliseum.
``The NFL will never go into a deal that doesn't have competition,'' said Parks, a 61-year-old Democrat. ``We have set parameters for what the city is going to do, and we've stuck to it.''
Officials from Anaheim, a city of 328,014 located 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles, last week met with the NFL to work on a term sheet that outlines the city's proposal to the league, Nicoletti said. The city is an attractive tourist destination, with 43 million visitors a year going to sites including Walt Disney Co.'s Disneyland, he said.
Anaheim hosted the Rams until 1994, when the team moved to St. Louis. Since then, the Rams have gone to the Super Bowl twice, winning once, in 2000.
Overestimated
The benefit from having a pro football team is often overestimated, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the nonprofit Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.
``The ongoing economic impact of an NFL team in a community is very small,'' he said. ``The biggest pop is on game day.''
Hosting a Super Bowl can bring in about $250 million, he said, citing San Diego's revenue from the 2003 game. Ridley- Thomas, a Democrat, said a Super Bowl can bring closer to $500 million.
Construction jobs to refurbish the Coliseum, income tax from a team and 1,000 jobs during the season will help the stadium's neighborhood, about 5 miles south of downtown, said Bill Chadwick, president of the Coliseum Commission, which is negotiating with the league.
Decision
The NFL will decide which city gets a team after it resolves collective bargaining talks with players, New York-based league spokesman Greg Aiello said. He declined to comment on whether Southern California would get an expansion club or a franchise from another city.
Politicians pushing Los Angeles's bid for a franchise say they've tapped into the people's desire to have another pro sports team to complement baseball's Dodgers, basketball's Lakers and the hockey Kings.
``I get regular calls asking me, `When, oh when?' '' said Ridley-Thomas, whose district includes the Coliseum.
Villaraigosa recognized the popularity of having an NFL team before he was mayor, serving as speaker of the state Assembly, Ridley-Thomas said.
``His position has not changed,'' Ridley-Thomas, 50, said. ``The major point to be communicated is that the NFL wants to know the chief executive of the city is paying attention and deems it to be important.''
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/
Cruz Jr. Signs With Dodgers
November 4, 2005
Los Angeles, CA -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. to a one-year contract with a club option for 2007, the team announced Friday.
Terms of the deal were not announced.
The former Gold Glove winner was acquired by the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox in August of last season in exchange for infielder Tony Schrager. He appeared in 47 games with Los Angeles, batting .301 with six homers and 22 RBI.
One of three switch-hitters in major league history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season, which he accomplished in 2001 while with the Toronto Blue Jays, Cruz owns a .250 career batting average with 193 home runs and 585 RBI in 1173 games played. The 31-year-old has also spent time with Seattle, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Arizona.
Source: http://www.thehometownchannel.com/
Hart interview with McCourt scheduled
Fri Nov 04, 2005
Apparently, John Hart has spoken with Frank McCourt about the Dodgers' g.m. job, and an interview has been scheduled:
Dodger owner Frank McCourt spoke by telephone Thursday with John Hart, a candidate to become general manager of the team, and they have scheduled a formal interview for the coming days.
Kim Ng, the assistant general manager under Paul DePodesta and his predecessor, Dan Evans, also will interview with McCourt, probably before the start of the GM meetings next week in Palm Springs.
It is believed that no woman has interviewed for a GM job.
Hart, the former general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, was not believed to be in Los Angeles on Thursday. McCourt requested and received permission from the Rangers to contact Hart, who resigned as the Rangers' general manager in early October to become a consultant to owner Tom Hicks.
At the time, Hicks said that he had not asked Hart to step down and, indeed, the team suggested Hart had retired. The Rangers had just concluded their third losing season in four years, all in Hart's tenure.
Less than a month later, Hart said he would be interested in becoming the Dodger general manager, and now will meet with McCourt to discuss it.
One baseball executive with knowledge of the situation said Hart was "a serious candidate" for the Dodger job.
Seriously, if Hart ends up with the Dodgers, I'd love to see how Tom Hicks & Co. with the Rangers spin this whole deal (assuming someone in the DFW media asks them about it).
How is it that, just a year ago Grady Fuson had to be forced out, and John Hart signed to a big extension, because it was so critical that Hart remain on as g.m.;
Then, at the end of the disappointing 2005 season, Hart resigns, supposedly of his own volition, because of...well, it wasn't entirely clear, except he didn't want to be the g.m. anymore;
And now, after playing footsie with the D-Rays, he's apparently a serious candidate to take over the Dodger organization...where Orel Hershiser would likely join him as his assistant g.m.
Hey, maybe it is just me...but this whole front office fiasco, dating back to Buck's power play with Fuson last summer, seems to make this organization look like the Keystone Kops. The guy who Hicks & Co. apparently begged to stay on last summer is now going to be allowed to leave, if he so chooses, and take one of the guys who was supposedly so critical to the Rangers' success with him.
Source: http://www.lonestarball.com/
Plenty of new faces will be around the table at GM meetings
Monday, November 7, 2005
With new faces at the table and a substandard free-agent class ready to start negotiating, major-league general managers gather Monday in Indian Wells, Calif., for their annual weeklong meetings.
Nearly a quarter of major-league teams have deposed their general managers since August, and Boston and the Los Angeles Dodgers haven't appointed successors.
These meetings usually set up trades and signings that take weeks to reach conclusion. The dearth of top-level stars among free agents is likely to set up an unusual market in which teams might devote as much time to trade exploration as they do to signings.
"I don't see either route to be a surefire way to accomplish what we want to do," San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean said. "We're going to be challenged in the market and challenged in terms of trades. But as I step back and review our situation, the division, the league and the rest of baseball, we're in a heck of a lot better shape than some other teams."
Many of the GMs are just settling in.
— Jon Daniels was promoted by the Texas Rangers to replace John Hart on Oct. 4, becoming the youngest GM in major-league history at 28 years 41 days.
— Mike Flanagan was promoted by the Baltimore Orioles to executive vice president of baseball operations on Oct. 11, replacing Jim Beattie, who was dismissed after the season.
— Josh Byrnes was hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Red Sox on Oct. 28 to replace Joe Garagiola, who left in August to become senior vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office.
— Pat Gillick joined the Philadelphia Phillies last Wednesday to replace the fired Ed Wade.
— Andrew Friedman, also 28, was promoted Thursday to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' executive vice president of baseball operations, where he'll be working alongside former Houston GM Gerry Hunsicker, hired the same day as senior vice president of baseball operations.
After firing Paul DePodesta on Oct. 29, the Dodgers will send a delegation led by assistant general manager Kim Ng, who could be promoted and become the first woman GM in major league baseball.
Boston, without a GM since talks on an extension for Theo Epstein broke down Oct. 31, will send a quartet of director of player development Ben Cherington, assistant to the general manager Jed Hoyer, special assistant Craig Shipley and director of baseball operations Peter Woodfork.
"Looking from the outside, it may appear there is turmoil," Shipley said. "On the inside, I can tell you, that is not the case."
At the meetings, Tampa Bay planned to interview three finalists to replace departed manager Lou Piniella: former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, Los Angeles Angels bench coach Joe Maddon and Devil Rays bench coach John McLaren.
Valentine also could be a candidate to succeed Jim Tracy as Dodgers manager.
In addition to the corridor talk, commissioner Bud Selig is scheduled to address the group Wednesday. GMs will consider rules for the inaugural World Baseball Classic in March, and while instant replay is not on the agenda, it could be brought up following a string of contested calls during the post-season.
Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Angels give Scioscia contract extension
11/5/2005
ANAHEIM, Calif., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have extended Manager Mike Scioscia's contract through 2009 with a club option for 2010.
Scioscia has guided the Angels to one World Series championship and two American League West titles in six years in Anaheim. He was already signed through 2007 with a team option for 2008.
Scioscia recently mentioned the possibility of "furthering my commitment" to the Angels in informal talks with General Manager Bill Stoneman after the season, the Los Angeles Times reported, and Angel owner Arte Moreno and Stoneman agreed to add two more years to the contract. Stoneman told the newspaper the decision had nothing to do with the fact that Scioscia's former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, are in the market for a manager.
"This had everything to do with Mike Scioscia," Stoneman said. "He's been here for six years, it's been a great six years, and he has every bit of passion now that he had at the beginning."
Scioscia's deal is believed to be worth an average of about $1.75 million a year.
"I think I've got the best position in baseball if you want to manage," Scioscia, 46, said. "All my focus was to stay here."
Source: http://www.upi.com/
Hot Stove Hearsay
November 07, 2005
Let's go 'round the Hot Stove League and see what's going on this week.
Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog makes a nice case for acquiring Billy Wagner. Basically, he thinks the last year of a four-year deal for the closer should be considered a sunk cost. Wagner still has three good years in him, and New York demands a rock-solid 9th inning guy. The team that signs Paul Konerko is going to have to take a similar line of reasoning, in that the first baseman probably has three years at most before his decline sets in.
Hearing a lot about the Dodgers falling all over themselves to deal Milton Bradley. I'm guessing that's because he's not a classic, old school "Dodger" for some reason. Would that reason be because he's black? I don't know. I read an interview with Bradley a few months ago. He said that when a white guy has a temper he's passionate and a gamer. When a black guy does, he's got an attitude problem. I agree that the stereotype is out there in the media; not sure whether any GMs actually think that way. Regardless, here's a 27 year-old center fielder who's about to join his fourth team. Solid on-base skills, 25 HR power, decent defense. Why are teams chomping at the bit for Johnny Damon and not Bradley?
Lboros writes for the best St. Louis Cardinals blog, Viva El Birdos. Great in-depth analysis today on the widely discussed Brian Giles to St. Louis possibility. The deal makes sense financially and Giles is a far better option than Kevin Mench or Vernon Wells. As a Cubs fan, I can only hope the Yankees' interest is for real.
Speaking of Kevin Mench, why do teams desire him? Consider: the average American League LF hit .278/.333/.437 in 2005. Mench hit .264/.328/.469. Yeah, he's 27 and affordable, but he's below average and not going to improve. I understand the Pirates and Royals messing around with a player like this, but the Cubs? Even a redux of Luis Gonzalez would be better for the Cubs. The deal would make sense for the Diamondbacks as well, as Gonzo and Shawn Green are blocking uber-prospect Carlos Quentin. The best solution, though, is still Matt Murton.
Ryan Shealy wants a piece of Rockie outfield. He's lost weight and he's training for an outfield conversion. I like Shealy as a sleeper for '06, but he might be just another Brad Hawpe. I don't know if that's a bad thing or not.
Jason Kubel is working hard and should be fully healthy by spring training. He's the frontrunner for a full-time RF position with the Twins. Thanks to Aaron Gleeman for pointing out that story.
Source: http://www.topix.net/
Charge to become 49er A.D. hasn't come
11/08/2005
Evisceration can be fun, as long as you're not the ones on the cutting end of the sharp objects.
This past week provided insight into this when the jackals of the fourth estate Los Angeles branch, toy division got their chance to ask Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta why he fired manager Jim Tracy.
These sessions are naturally chaotic because one side wants answers and the other wants to avoid giving them, and in this case, DePodesta failed as badly as he did the days he traded Paul Lo Duca, spurned Adrian Beltre and signed J.D. (Just Disabled) Drew to a five-year contract that included his own private wing at Centinela Valley Hospital.
Some examples of Paul's comments and media responses:
Paul: "We decided it was best for both of us. He felt he needed to move on as well."
Media: Didn't Tracy ask for an extension?
Paul: "I won't get into details on our philosophical disagreements. We just didn't see eye to eye."
Media: Don't you think people deserve to know what those differences were?"
Paul: "We just weren't on the same page. I think Jim did a terrific job. We all regret the frustrating way the year has gone. Months ago, I said if anyone is to blame, it's me, and I still feel that way."
Media: Then why is he being made the scapegoat?
Paul: "The difficulties between us existed whether we would have won 71 games or 95 games. I think we'd make the same call regardless of the record."
Media: So if the Dodgers win the NL West again in 2005 we're still having this conversation?
Paul: "The time was now to move on."
When you've been around the business for more than three decades, one learns that many people out there don't need any help hanging themselves. In this case, DePodesta knotted his own cord.
Even if you were one of those who found Jim Tracy annoying and believes in DePodesta's schemes and Hee-Seop Choi, it's hard to look at DePo's resume and not conclude the wrong guy got fired.
Not because of his system, which relies heavily on certain stats and puts some old baseball truisms into storage. He should have been fired because he's failed in every other phase of being a G.M.
While the Dodgers were leading the NL West in 2004, he made a series of trades that sent very important pieces of the Dodgers out of town, most notably clubhouse leader Lo Duca and Dave Roberts. The Dodgers survived because Jose Lima, Eric Gagne and Robin Ventura kept the club's morale intact and Tracy massaged a depleted pitching staff.
In the offseason, the Dodgers had one obvious priority, retain the key parts of a division winner. It was not DePodesta's priority. Adrian Beltre? Jose Lima? Steve Finley? Gone.
One can say their stats in 2005 give credence to DePodesta, but all three players switched leagues and their stats elsewhere wouldn't necessarily have been the same if they had remained in L.A.
He began rearranging the roster without asking Tracy for any input; he hadn't even gotten around to offering his manager a new contract. Some CEOs operate this way, and don't clue middle managers into their plans, but the system doesn't work in baseball since the manager is steward of the clubhouse for eight months.
Then he made bad free agent personnel and contract decisions. He gave Odalis Perez a three-year, $24 million deal, even though his popularity rating in the clubhouse was minus-something. He gave Derek Lowe a four-year deal; no other team was prepared to give him more than three. He gave Drew an $11 million-per-year deal for five seasons, which was one year and $2 million more per than anyone else.
Plus, he gave Drew an opt-out clause that is of absolutely no benefit to the franchise. Shades of Kevin Malone.
As the Dodgers' season unraveled in 2005, DePo proceeded to sit on his hands. One key acquisition might have been enough to keep the Dodgers competitive in the worst division in baseball history. Instead, he gave Tracy a gaggle of journeymen and non-prospects that turned into the worst roster in Los Angeles Dodgers history.
So why is Paul DePodesta still employed? Because he is less a G.M. as he is a consort for owner Frank McCourt.
The Dodgers' owner said his team would have a competitive $100 million payroll, but the last two seasons have come home in the $85 million range, and that includes money to players who never saw the field. The owner won't admit it, but his plan from the beginning was to trim the payroll and try to win with less, because he's cash-shy and he promised Bud Selig he would in exchange for approval to buy the team.
That's why McCourt hired DePodesta, a product of the Oakland system that relies on financial numbers as well as on-base percentage.
If the Dodgers' farm system produces starting players as the brass hopes, there will be at least a half-dozen rookies filling key roles on the team by 2007. The Dodgers' obligations for 2007 right now stand at $40 million, and two of those players with salaries totaling almost half that figure are candidates to be moved.
In McCourt's fetid dreams, he's playing with a $60 million payroll in 2007 and contending for a division title. Possible? Sure it is. The Florida Marlins won two World Series titles.
But he may have picked the wrong guy to implement it. The bottom line on DePodesta is he's simply in over his head. If this was just a matter of him beating a computer sim, he'd have a chance. But he's competing against other G.M.s who have more experience and savvy, and dealing with agents who have snake DNA, and trying to run an organization without understanding that a team is a living, breathing entity and not a computer printout.
Next on his plate to break: hiring a new manager. You can immediately dismiss hopes that the Dodgers will aggressively seek an experienced, successful veteran manager, because McCourt doesn't want to pay the tab.
The new guy has three requirements to fulfill: allegiance to DePodesta's theories, an understanding of McCourt's long-term, penny-pinching goals, and modest salary need. That's why Terry Collins and Jerry Royster are candidates. They're malleable.
Jim Tracy is the lucky one. It may hurt that he was fired after posting four winning seasons in five and that he's gone because of the mistakes of others, but he gets out with his reputation and the opportunity for a managing job elsewhere.
Dodgers fans are the ones who are stuck, with McCourt, with DePodesta, with Choi, Jason Repko, Elmer Dessens, Jason Phillips, Oscar Robles ad infinitum nauseum.
It makes one wistful for the past. The O'Malley era? At this point, it's even easy to lament the passing of the Fox era.
Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/
On the trading block
Tuesday November 8, 2005
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The New York Yankees declined the 2006 option on first baseman Tino Martinez, opting to pay a $250,000 buyout rather than bring him back at $3 million for 2006.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman denied that the club would use catcher Jorge Posada as their first baseman, with Jason Giambi filling the designated-hitter role full time.
According to baseball executives at the general managers meetings here, the Yankees have floated Posada's name on the trade market. He does not have a no-trade provision. The Yankees, though, have no real expectations of moving Posada because of his hefty contract.
At 34, Posada is entering what traditionally has been an age of declining production for catchers; his on-base and slugging percentages have dropped two straight seasons from his career year of 2003. Posada is scheduled to earn $8 million next season, and if he catches 63 games next season his $12 million option for 2007 becomes guaranteed. (The option vests with 330 games caught from 2004-06. Posada caught 267 games over the past two seasons.)
Not even the Yankees, with all their resources, are thrilled about paying $12 million for a catcher who turns 36 that year. Of course, that clause makes a trade difficult, which explains why New York also had given some thought to using Posada, who was signed as an infielder, at first base. (Without the vested option, the Yankees hold a $4 million buyout for 2007.)
Cashman, however, said the club has no plans to play Posada at first base.
Heard elsewhere at the meetings
After the Yankees indicated they have no interest in trading Robinson Cano for Torii Hunter, Minnesota is telling people it intends to keep the center fielder. Hunter, though, may need to make sure no ill will remains in the Twins' clubhouse. A source said it was Hunter who took a swing at Justin Morneau in their late-season scuffle and that Hunter, who questioned his teammate's desire to play through an injury, previously angered Morneau by chirping at him from the on-deck circle while Morneau was preparing to bat. ... The Yankees have kicked around the idea of acquiring Milton Bradley from Los Angeles to play center field. Brad Wilkerson of Washington is another center fielder being discussed. ... Carlos Delgado did not secure a no-trade contract from Florida when he signed there last year as a free agent, which explains why his name is circulating on the trade market. However, Delgado earned only $4 million this year, leaving a whopping $47.9 million over the next three seasons (buyout included). The Mets still like him, but do they like him at that number? ... Teams that have indicated an interest in signing A.J. Burnett: 21. ... The Red Sox plan to interview Jim Beattie and Jim Bowden this week for their GM opening. Bowden is also a strong contender for the Los Angeles job, which seems to be the better fit for him. If Bowden leaves -- his contract was extended only through March while the team is up for sale -- Theo Epstein becomes the top candidate in Washington. ... The Dodgers already must pay the $2.1 million left on the contract of ex-GM Paul DePodesta and some observers anticipate a payroll cut in L.A. as owner Frank McCourt operates on slim margins. Remember, the Dodgers had reached agreement with free agent outfielder Vladimir Guerrero two years ago, only to have McCourt decide he didn't want him and watch him sign with the Angels for more money than what the Dodgers would have paid him. ... Is Phillies first baseman Jim Thome tradeable? Here's one executive's take: "We need a bat, but there's no way we'd take that kind of risk.''
Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
Angels ace Bartolo Colon wins American League Cy Young Award
November 8, 2005
(CP) - Bartolo Colon believed he was in the midst of Cy Young calibre season for the Cleveland Indians in 2002 until he was dealt to the Montreal Expos.
At 10-4 with a 2.55 earned-run average when the Expos stunned the baseball world with a mid-season trade for him and his $4.925 million US salary, Colon was dominating and GM Omar Minaya hoped the stocky right-hander with the messy jheri curls would push his upstart club over the top.
It didn't work out that way, even though Colon overcame the shock of being traded to go 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA in Montreal and finish the season with combined marks of 20-8 with a 2.93 ERA.
The Expos ended up a distant second in the NL East and well back in the wild-card race, and because Colon switched leagues, he wasn't a factor in the Cy Young voting.
"I thought about the Cy Young (before he was traded)," Colon recalled through a translator. "When I got traded, I thought about winning 20 games. Eventually in my mind I knew that at some point I was going to have the opportunity to do it again."
That opportunity came in 2005 with the Los Angeles Angels and after posting numbers very similar to those in that 2002 season, he was awarded the AL Cy Young Award on Tuesday.
Colon, 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA for the AL West champs, received 17 first-place votes and a total of 118 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. That left him well ahead of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and 2004 winner Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins.
Rivera received eight-first-place votes and 68 points while Santana collected three-first-place votes and 51 points.
"To do it for the Angels is very special," Colon said from his home in Altamira, Dominican Republic during a conference call. "You can't even imagine what the scene is like here with people stopping by and honking their horns. It's been really crazy, crazy, crazy."
Cleveland Indians left-hander Cliff Lee came in fourth with eight points while Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox was fifth with five. White Sox teammate Jon Garland and Kevin Millwood of the Indians each received one point.
Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was a leading contender for the award before he suffered a season-ending fractured left leg on July 8. Halladay, who won the award in 2003, was 12-4 with a 2.41 ERA in 19 starts at the time.
Although Colon's time in Montreal was brief - budget restraints forced the Expos to deal him to the White Sox after that 2002 season - it left a mark on him.
He praised Vladimir Guerrero, Jose Vidro, Fernando Tatis and most of all, Andres Galarraga, whom he c