Turn Back The Clock, March '06, Part IV: My .800+ OPS lineup.

http://www.dodgers.cc/index.php?showtopic=1929&st=81

Thats the problem though. DePo was close to assembling 8 high OPS guys (most coming into their primes/upside) even if he didnt have an unlimited budget

Werth in LF- .830OPS his rookie year (Giles could have been here)
Choi/Saenz at 1st- .824 OPS as a starter
Bradley in CF- 800+ OPS
Kent/Perez at 2nd--800+
Drew in RF 900+
Guzman at SS- 800+ potential
LaRoche/Aybar-3rd- 800+
Navarro/Martin-at C- 775+

He was close to making it happen. Even if Werth was hurt and doesnt come back, he still has Cruz and i think would have had Giles bc he would have offered a 4th year.

However, Ned came in and signed Nomar, Lofton, traded Bradley, gave up on Choi, Werth, etc...moved Guzman off SS, and didnt sign Giles.

You're gonna see the ramifications when this team has trouble scoring runs, and the players let go or traded away go on to have good careers.

My way scores more runs than your way. I think you are agreeing with that (high ops team) but you've said its not possible to put together a team like that with a budget. It definitely is. And it was definitely in the works until the McCourts gave into the media pressure and failed to see the big picture. Dispute it all you want, but I'm relying on numbers. You are not. I'm relying on 60yrs of baseball data that says scoring runs is most correlated to a team's OPS. You are not.

You are relying on generalizations, "A 1st basemen should be this...A SS should do this, etc..Odalis Perez isnt a 'winner'."... Screw that. I want every single position OPS'ing at least .800... And it was close to happening. And I'm going to evaluate every one individually and fairly.

The Dodgers are back in the dark ages of Fred Claire meets Kevin Malone in my opinion. Bloated payroll with marginal results.

I hope everyone enjoys it for this season.

However, after the A's win the WS and the media jumps on the bandwagon again, maybe Frank will switch gears yet again.

Did you like the part where I said I was going to evaluate every one individually and fairly? What about the part where I have Brian Giles leading off?

Lets also break down this comment of mine.... "However, Ned came in and signed Nomar, Lofton, traded Bradley, gave up on Choi, Werth, etc...moved Guzman off SS, and didnt sign Giles."

Signed Nomar.
Signed Lofton.
Traded Bradley.
Gave up on Choi.
Gave up on Werth.
Moved Guzman off ss.
Didn't sign Giles.

All you have to do is look at these 7 decisions to see that Mr. Ned in a joke of a GM. The man obviously has no idea what he is doing.

Turn Back The Clock, March '06, Part III: That Godawful Bradley trade

http://www.dodgers.cc/index.php?showtopic=1929&st=88

Guzman has lost most of his value since he moved off SS. He's now only average playing in the OF. If he was at SS, he'd be a ton more valuable.

Letting Bradley go (and check Colletti's quotes after the trade, he took full responsibility for moving him), might be the dumbest move the Dodgers have made since giving up Pedro Martinez and getting DeShields back. At least with the Piazza deal, they got good talent in return. .800+ OPS CF'ers are rare. Just like 800+OPS SS's are rare. We had 1, and a very good likliehood of the other. Now, we have none.

1st base- should be Choi/Saenz
SS- Should be Guzman
CF- Should be Bradley
LF- Should be Giles

Thats 4 positions that if the McCourts had seen the 'big picture', probably could have happened.

Compare the upside with those 4, versus whom is playing those positions now.


Guzman has lost most of his value since he moved off SS. He's now only average playing in the OF. If he was at SS, he'd be a ton more valuable.

...............and continuing on
http://www.dodgers.cc/index.php?showtopic=1929&st=98

I'm not saying Bradley is as good as Pedro.

I'm just saying that the established talent going out, and whatever talent coming in has the makings of the worst trade since the Pedro/Delino deal.

And honestly, the Pedro/Delino deal was only bad in hind site. At the time, it probably looked good bc Delino was an ok 2nd basemen and Pedro just a middle reliever.

At no time have I have ever seen the Dodgers trade 2 young, productive MLB'ers for a marginal minor league talent. It was just a terrible move.

At least I said Bradley wasn't as good as Pedro.....

Turn Back The Clock, March '06, Part II: Did Mr. Ned do his job?

http://www.dodgers.cc/index.php?showtopic=1929&st=74

Playoffs are a crap shoot. The GM's job is to get the team into the playoffs. After that its mostly about luck when you are talking about 5 and 7 game series.
You cant win a WS without first making the playoffs.

I spew so much bullshit I can't keep track of it half the time. I'm going to retract this statement. I refuse to acknowledge that Mr. Ned did his job. It was all luck, Logan White, JD Drew, Brad Penny, and Derek Lowe that got the Dodgers to the playoffs.

Turn Back the Clock, March '06, Part I: Fantasy Leaguers Could Be GM's

http://www.dodgers.cc/index.php?showtopic=1929&st=60

I hate to tell you, but there's a ton of finance guys playing fantasy baseball that could put together a better baseball team than most of the 'professionals' that have only reached their positions due to the good ole boy network. Acting as tho I cant comment on baseball bc i've never played in the major leagues...Thats ridiculous.Quick example. THere's a girl in my neighborhood that rides motorcycles. She's had 3 wrecks in the last 6 months. Now, I myself do not ride motorcycles. But can I not judge her as being a bad rider? I think she is. I've told her that she is. Am I wrong?How's that different than baseball? I see a team full of players that really havent produced much over the last several years. They've had 'wrecks' in the past. THey'll likely to 'wreck' again. Its not 'fantasy' in saying a team isnt very good, and the person that put the team together doesnt understand how to put a team together.

Like I've said before. Being a good GM is like being the best trained monkey in the circus. I don't want that.

It's like the Dodgers are back in the 90's again.

The Dodgers will finish 84-78. The record will rest mainly on the steady pitching of Derek Lowe, steady out making of Juan Pierre, and overall mediocrity of Luis Gonzales and Jeff Kent (whom both seemingly had a Steve Finley-esque nosedive to their careers).

By the time the season was over with, Dodger fans were left pondering whether it was indeed 2007, or actually 1997. An era of bloated payroll, prospect trading, and general malaise had returned home to Dodger Blue.

The 1990's werent all bad, werent all good, just kinda average. For the 2007 Dodgers, it was a return to the good ole' days..er average ole' days.

BRING BACK DEPO!!