Recent history has not been kind to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, in Paul Haddad’s new book, High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania: A Fan’s History of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Glory Years 1977-1981, the author gets the reader so immersed in what happened between these years, that it makes the reader remember what a great franchise the Dodgers have been over time.

As the Dodgers work to reclaim their glory, Haddad looks to remind fans about a different time in the city of Los Angeles when dreams were about nothing but a World Series championship on a yearly basis. Haddad depicts the Dodgers teams of these years from the fan’s perspective which one doesn’t have to be a Dodger fan to understand. All teams have had their highs and their lows and something as simple as turning on sports talk radio in any city across the country will remind one of how tied fans can become to the good times.

The book comes out at an appropriate time when the Dodgers are frequently in the news for news stories that are happening off of the field. Haddad does a great job of reminding Dodger fans of the great times that have occurred and what they have ahead of them if they stay around.

The author adds an extremely unique touch to this book that he explains very early on. While many youngsters grow up idolizing players and wanting to grow up to hit the game winning home run, Haddad grew up wanting to call the game winning home run. Throughout the author’s youth, all he ever wanted to do was to become the next Vin Scully. Not that that’s a tall order or anything.

Due to Haddad’s drive to become the next Scully, his youth was filled with times when he would emulate the Hall of Fame broadcaster and actually record himself doing so. Like many fans, Haddad kept the memories from his childhood dreams around and has them quoted multiple times in this book. While some books have quotes from well-known players or managers at the beginning of chapters, Haddad actually quotes himself from times when he was recording his amateur play by play calls.

The book is a quick read mostly because the author does a good job of splitting it up and giving the reader different topics about the Dodgers to focus on throughout each chapter. One of the tidbits that appears quite frequently throughout the book is entitled the “Fernando Watch.” This typically page long excerpt gives a snapshot of phenom Fernando Valenzuela at different parts of the seasons that are the focus of this book. Valenzuela was somewhat of a cultural phenomenon when he grew of age with the Dodgers and helped bring them a World Series championship. While many athletes become polarizing for brief periods of time in this current era of baseball, during the late 1970s it was rare that a player would garner the public attention that Fernandomania did.

This book is unlike any this reviewer has ever read due to the fact that Haddad is not scared of professing his fandom throughout the pages. While many sports writers who have published books no doubt become fans of the teams they cover for years, they attempt to stay objective in their books, which should be expected if they are reporting news. Haddad makes no ifs, ands, or buts about it in this book as his fandom for the Dodgers drips from nearly every word written in this book.

It’s somewhat refreshing to hear an educated diehard fans perspective throughout these pages. Even though it is clear that Haddad is a huge fan of the team, readers should not be turned off with the potential that they might be reading statements in line with those that they hear called into their local sports radio station.

Even if your team is not the Dodgers, this book presents itself as the perfect primer for the upcoming season. All fans will be able to relate to Haddad’s thoughts, actions and words throughout the book and most can probably even imagine themselves doing many of the same things the author does.

Rating: 3.5/5

Justin Upton

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming season.

After finishing first in the National League West last season (lost in the N.L. Divional Series to Milwaukee), Arizona is looking to prove that 2011 wasn’t just a fluke. After a few roster changes during the off-season, Arizona is ready to show what they can do in 2012.

One of the main parts to Arizona’s success was Justin Upton. He had his best year so far last season, finishing fourth in the N.L. Most Valuable Player voting as he helped lead the Diamondbacks to the N.L. West title. At only 24 years old, Upton is in his prime and  could have an even better season this year, possibly even winning the NL MVP. I’m predicting Upton to hit .310, with 32 home runs and 110 runs batted in.

Another important player to the team’s success was Ian Kennedy, who put up Cy Young award numbers, winning 21 games and only losing four. It was a career year for Kennedy, finishing fourth in the N.L. Cy Young Award voting. Many are hoping that Kennedy can repeat his 2011 performance again in 2012. My prediction for Kennedy is 15 wins while losing only seven and having an earned run average of 3.00.

Over the off-season, Arizona acquired outfielder Jason Kubel via free agency; and he is expected to play left field instead of Gerardo Parr, the starting left fielder for Arizona last season, playing in 141 games while batting .292 and driving in 46. Meanwhile, last season Jason Kubel was off to a very hot start in April, batting .351. He was a bright spot on an injury-plagued Twins team. However, Kubel’s average steadily declined over the course of the season. He finished with an average of .273 while driving in 58. But Kubel’s season averages surpass Parra’s. Kubel had a career year in 2009 during the last year the Twins played in the Metrodome. The next season, the Twins moved to Target Field, a ballpark that favors pitchers. Target affected Kubel’s offensive numbers. Kubel should be more productive in 2012, playing in Arizona’s Chase Field.

Chase  is one of the best hitter’s parks in the Major Leagues, which will contribute to Kubel’s offensive production. These factors give Jason Kubel a great opportunity to be a starting outfielder for the Diamondbacks in 2012. I’m predicting Kubel to hit .285, with 25 home runs and 80 driven in.

Arizona also acquired two pitchers, Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow, in a trade with Oakland during the off-season which will help both its rotation and bullpen. Cahill is hoping to contribute to the rotation by rebounding from a down year in 2011, finishing with 14 losses and an ERA above 4.00. Cahill is only 24 and is about to hit his prime, which is a good thing for the Diamondbacks. He showed signs of his potential in 2010. As a 22-year-old Cahill won 18 games and kept his ERA just under 3.00. Breslow will most likely end up being a solid set-up man for Arizona, as he has been fairly consistent throughout his career, averaging a 3.06 ERA during his four- year career. I’m predicting Cahill will win 13 games and lose nine, with a 3.50 ERA; and Breslow will finish 2012 with a 2.80 ERA.

Now, a look at the potential future stars in the Diamondbacks organization. The number one-ranked prospect in the Diamondbacks farm system and the ninth best prospect in all of baseball is right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer.He is just 21 years old and could be seeing some time with the Diamondbacks in 2012. He draws some comparisons to Tim Lincecum with his size and pitching motion. Bauer throws many different pitches, all for strikes, but the two that stand out are his fastball and curveball. Bauer’s fastball averages 93-94 mph with some movement, while his curveball has a sharp 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock break. In Bauer’s 25.2 innings in the minor leagues so far, he has struck out 43 batters and walked 12. Bauer could become the Diamondback’s ace in the near future.

One player we are most likely to see in 2012 is 20 year old left-handed pitcher Tyler Skaggs. He’s ranks as the 13th best prospect in all of baseball. Skaggs is only 20 years old and will most likely be seeing playing time this year. Skaggs was acquired by the Diamondbacks from the Angels when they traded Dan Haren in 2010. Skaggs’ fastball averages around 90-92 mph and, like Bauer, he has a sharp 12-6 curveball as his main strikeout pitch. Skaggs could be the future number two starter for the Arizona Diamondbacks behind Bauer.

The top position player prospect for the Diamondbacks is 20-year-old power hitting third baseman Matt Davidson. He is ranked the 97th best prospect in all of baseball. Last year in High-A level ball, Davidson hit 20 home runs and drove in 106 runs, while batting .277. He’s a below-average fielder which, in time, will improve as he gets older and plays more. His debut is likely coming in 2013 or 2014.

Arizona’s future is full of talent and possibly even a World Series Champion team. The upcoming season looks to be another exciting year for the Diamondbacks as they seek to succeed yet again and win the National League West and go deep in the playoffs.

Here it is again for the 1,000th time. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

This article was written by Ronni Redmond from the blog, “Garlic Fries and Baseball: Baseball Odds and Ends” and was originally posted there on 2/23/2012.

The only reason I’m bringing this up again is because Calcaterra over at Hardball Talk said Posey was told to “stop” blocking the plate.   This implies that Posey “was” blocking the plate, which he was not as the photo above clearly shows.  The runner intentionally left the baseline with a spectacular charge aimed directly towards the catcher with no intention of getting to the home plate.  The runner, Scott Cousins, said later his intention was to dislodge the ball~ which he could not, because Buster never had it.

But here’s what’s really amazing about this photo.   Notice the umpire.  No one had a better birds-eye view than this umpire, standing steadfast and staring intently at the play as it was happening and boom!  Crash!  Bam! Slam!   The play’s over and the umpire calls the runner safe, run counts, and the catcher is lying mortally wounded* (defined below) on the field.  What the heck was he thinking?  The umpire I mean.

Somehow it seems reasonable that MLB Rule 7.08 (b) could be construed to somehow apply in this situation.  A good attorney could probably make it work.  I don’t know.  I’m just saying the umpire has total charge of the game.   And in this case I think he let this one get by.  Too bad.  Would have been a real feather in his cap if he’d stepped up to the plate (no pun intended) took a stand and said something like “No more! This ain’t gonna happen on my watch”.   Like the NFL did when they made it illegal to spear with their helmets, with no intentional blows to the head.

Who knows?  An umpire taking a stand.  Might have changed the game forever.  He has the authority to do that you know. Baseball needs a little cleaning up.   It’s not just bulldozing the catcher at the plate that can get really nasty, but what about all those pitches thrown at the batter’s head, back, arm, foot, leg in retaliation for some stupid reason (there are hundreds of them) that everyone knows about, including the umpires.  They all know what’s going on.  It’s extremely rare that a pitcher gets thrown out of a game for hitting or trying to hit a batter, even though it happens regularly.  And if a pitcher does happen to be ejected for intentionally hitting a batter the minimum fine is a whopping $200! (MLB Rule 8.02)  Can you believe it?  Who makes these rules?  I mean a batter could get killed, and has, from one of those bean balls.

"The Scales of Justice"

Here in the land of fruits and nuts according to Wikipedia, “on April 6, 2006, in a case arising from a game involving community college baseball teams, the Supreme Court of California ruled that baseball players in California assume the risk of being hit by baseballs even if the balls were intentionally thrown so as to cause injury.” So I guess the message is if you’ve got the moxie to do it, do it in California.

You might notice I’ve not once tried to blame any of this on Scott Cousins (see my June 4, 2011 post).  Scott was doing what he was trained to do which is to do everything he can to win. And he did.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking"

No, this is something that falls on the Major League Umpires Association.  They’re the only ones who can get this violent aspect of the game under control and they don’t need any rule changes to do it.   If they’d start bouncing players out of the game when they resort to these retaliatory pitches and the unnecessary violence at the plate and elsewhere, the players would get the message and it would stop.  The question is, will they?  The answer is, probably not.  They’d have to move  a tad out of their comfort zone and who the heck wants to do that?

* Mortally Wounded Defined:   A mortal wound is a very severe and serious injury (almost always a form of penetration or laceration) whether accidental or inflicted intentionally…

Photo taken from Zimbio via Google Images

2011 was an amazing year for the Diamondbacks. After going 70-92 in 2009, and 65-97 in 2010, the D-Backs went 94-68 in 2011, finishing first place in the NL West for the first time since 2007. In 2010, Arizona had one of the worst pitching staffs in the league, with an ERA of 4.81 and losing 97 games. No pitcher on the team had more than nine wins. They also lost their ace, Dan Haren, in a trade with the Angels near the deadline for Joe Saunders. Saunders went 3-7 with a 4.25 ERA for the rest of the year, and Haren went 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA with the Angels. It was a painful loss for the D-Backs, but in 2011, Arizona’s pitching staff had a 3.80 ERA, won 94 games while only losing 68, had four players win 10 games or more, and regained an ace, Ian Kennedy. Kennedy had an amazing breakout year, he won 21 games while losing only four, and had a 2.88 ERA while finishing with 222 innings pitched. Pretty solid for a guy who went 9-10 in the previous year. Kennedy finished 4th in the NL Cy Young award voting behind the Phillies’ Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, and the winner, the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw.

The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were improved from their 2010 season at the plate. In 2011, Arizona had the same batting average as 2010 (.250) and hit eight less homers (172 in 2011 and 180 in 2010), along with nine less hits than in 2010. But in 2011, Arizona snagged 133 bags (7th in all of MLB), 47 more bases than in 2010 while being caught only 14 times more in 2011. They also cut their strikeouts down 280 less times than 2010, along with hitting into only 82 double plays (tied for 1st in MLB), 33 less than last year. The Diamondbacks young right fielder, Justin Upton, only 24 years old (played four seasons) had a great year at the plate, winning the Silver Slugger and being named to play the All-Star game. Last year, Upton set a new career high in runs (105), hits (171), doubles (39), home runs (31), and RBI (88). Upton also finished 4th in the NL MVP voting last season. One of the biggest surprises during the 2011 Diamondback’s season was the emergence of Ryan Roberts. Last season, Roberts helped Arizona’s playoff push with hitting 19 home runs while driving in 65 runs. He also stole 18 bases while scoring 86 runs.

The improvements made from the 2010 season had a major impact in the Diamondback’s season. Clinching the NL West on September 24th, Arizona returned to the playoffs. Arizona was set to face the NL MVP Ryan Braun and Milwaukee in the NLDS. After losing the first two games to Milwaukee on the road, Arizona won the next two at home, hitting grand slams in both of them. In game 5 of the match up, Arizona was down 2-1 to the Brewers on the road, until Willie Bloomquist hit an RBI bunt single to score Gerardo Parra, tying it in the 9th inning. The game went into extra innings, but Arizona was unable to score in the top of the 10th, when Nyjer Morgan hit a walk-off RBI single to score Carlos Gomez, advancing the Brewers to the NLCS for the first time since moving to the National League in 1998. The Brewers lost to what would be the World Series winner St. Louis Cardinals. This playoff loss ended what would have been an amazing run for the Diamondbacks, after losing 97 games their previous year. Now, it was time for the Diamondbacks to transition into the off-season.

On December 9th, 2011, the Diamondbacks acquired pitchers Trevor Cahill, and Craig Breslow from the Oakland A’s along with cash for Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill, and Ryan Cook. Then on December 19th, Arizona signed outfielder Jason Kubel to a two year, $15 million dollar deal, with an option for a third year. Kubel, a career .271 hitter, has shown signs of power, hitting a career high 28 home runs in 2009 while driving in 103 with the Twins, but hasn’t reached those numbers since then. Kubel has the potential to reach these numbers once more in Arizona, with Chase Field being more of a hitters park than Kubel’s previous home, Target Field. Kubel is expected to be the starting left fielder for the Diamondbacks. The additions of Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow add depth to their rotation and bullpen. Arizona is hoping Cahill can come back from a down year. He had a 4.16 ERA last season, but the season before he had a 2.97 ERA as a 22 year old. Cahill has a high ceiling as he showed in 2010. The Diamondbacks hope he can reach that ceiling while he is with them. On February 9th, Arizona signed Breslow to a one year, $1,795,000 contract to avoid arbitration. Breslow has a career 3.06 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP and has been consistent throughout his career.

2011 was a shocking and successful year for the NL West champion Diamondbacks, and it seems like they have a possibility do even more in 2012.

Will the real San Diego Padres fans please come forward? In my opinion, this question is usually answered after the second game of the teams opening season series home stand. Those who show up, besides those who are employed by the team, are the fans that didn’t score opening day tickets or just wanted to avoid the riff raff of the opening day festivities. These are the same fans that know there will be no give-a-way, they’re going to get what they came to see, Padres’ baseball.  However this question may not truly be answered until five days after the home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Why? Because it’s the Dodgers. No matter how good the team is or how unfortunate the team may be, Padres fans love to see there team beat the Dodgers. No offense to the Arizona Diamondbacks who follow up the opener against the Dodgers, Padres fans love to see the D-Backs lose as well. I hope I don’t lose you the rest of the way, but this seems to be the state of mind of one Padres fan.

In recent articles I’ve talked about what I think of the Padres, both good and bad and the bottom line is I love baseball and I love the Padres like a many others. Not quite Padres Nation (hash tag), but looking to become one. And maybe with the team’s forthcoming television deal with FOX Sports they will get that national moniker. One day.

As the hot stove league sizzles like a Sunday morning breakfast for some teams, Padres fans are grabbing for their box of Lucky Charms. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La,Da. From this end of the country you can’t help but notice what some of the other teams have done to boost their payrolls around MLB. The Angels continue to stir the pot here on the west coast and over on the east, you can’t look past what the Marlins have done. Yes, the Marlins have added some major talent to their roster, but the Padres will be the better looking team uniform wise. I’m just saying. As Padres fans gather their thoughts of the 2012 season, the team has some bigger issues… will the real owner of the San Diego Padres please come forward. This era of Padres baseball wasn’t supposed to be a transition period. It is but more so for Jeff Moorad and his group of investors. As MLB has put a hold on the transition of ownership of the team, former or maybe current owner John Moores has reportedly already went out spending cash oh his end. According to a recent news story, Moores has bought a very affluent Hospitality Inn for the sum of $30-million.  This is a project that needs millions more in upgrades and renovations. Too bad he didn’t think that way about the team over the past few years. Hey I’m grateful for Moores and former business partner Larry Lucchino for saving and making baseball fun in San Diego, but over the last few years there hasn’t been much to brag about.

The past eight weeks could have or may have been baffling for some including me, such as the Matt Latos trade to Cincinnati, but now I am at ease. The Padres didn’t feel he was going to be the ace of the staff like many thought and there also seemed to be an attitude that only those in the club house saw. Then there is Heath Bell. I am going to miss that guy. While there are those players reporters would rather not deal with, Bell was just the opposite. He came to play everyday with a smile and he was an all-star who loves the game. For the first time in a long while the team will have a different closer in Houston Street. (1-4/3.86/29 Saves last season with Colorado).  His numbers may depend on how the pitching staff fares? Joining the staff will be Edinson Volquez who went 17-6 in 2008 and has gone 13-12 since. I understand why the team let Anthony Rizzo go, but I still scratch my head that he was the cornerstone of the trade from the Red Sox for Adrian Gonzalez. With Rizzo gone, Yonder Alonso who came over in the Latos deal will get a shot at first. (.330/5/15) in 47 games. Alonso struck out 21 times in 88 tries.

Last month the Padres said they had some payroll flexibility and since then we have seen them acquire Carlos Quentin who agreed to a one-year deal worth just over $7-million. Volquez and Quentin are among 9 of 11 players who were signed by the team this past week. Others who signed who were arbitration eligible, Tim Stauffer, Luke Gregerson, Joe Thatcher, Will Venable, Nick Hundley, John Baker and Chase Headley. The two still unsigned are pitchers Clayton Richards and Dustin Moseley.

For now, at this moment, all I can say is Go Padres! I will be there for opening day like many other fans as well as the random Monday or Tuesday game with other Padres fans.

Photo taken from Zimbio via Google Images

While the Bankruptcy Court ordered sale of the Dodgers proceeds, a very interesting development occurred Wednesday when Joe Torre suddenly resigned his position with MLB as Vice President of Operations overseeing such things as discipline and umpiring. Late word is that Torre who managed the Dodgers to back to back NLCS appearances in 2008-2009 is connected to Rick Caruso who is President of Caruso Affiliated, a real estate development company responsible for several successful retail and entertainment complexes in Southern California.

Torre as one of the best known and respected figures in all of baseball would bring instant credibility as the Dodgers begin the long process of rebuilding the franchise and re-launching the Dodgers brand inSouthern California. In Caruso, Torre seems to be aligned perfectly with someone who has an excellent business and development background that would focus on the business end of the Dodgers while allowing Torre free reign to rebuild the baseball operation in Chavez Ravine which is in tatters after the past few stormy years of team ownership under the outgoing Frank McCourt. Three years ago McCourt had developed a $500 million dollar project to upgrade the current stadium and develop the 275 acres surrounding the stadium that is currently mostly used for parking. Item of note here is that in one of his many dealings while owning the club, McCourt has separated the Dodgers Team, Dodger Stadium and the parking lots surrounding the stadium into separate entities. It is unclear as of today’s date if the parking lots would be included with the sale of the team and stadium.

The sale of the Dodgers as supervised by a bankruptcy court is the key. Bid packages have been requested by up to 6 different groups, with groups including former Dodgers  players Orel Hershiser and Steve Garvey, a group including Magic Johnson and Mark Cuban, and still another group led by former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley and former GM Fred Claire. The bankruptcy court supervising the sale of the Dodgers upheld the team’s contention that they be allowed to solicit bids for the broadcast rights of the Dodgers as part of the sale of the team. The Dodgers argued that the sale of the broadcast rights is central to allowing a new ownership group to have an indentified, stable and sustained source of revenue going forward which would allow for rapid rebuilding of the franchise and finding the initial projects needed to upgrade the stadium and it’s facilities. However Fox, as holders of those rights thru 2013, filed an appeal and the appellate court issued an emergency stay against sale of the Dodgers broadcast rights. What’s interesting is that while the Dodgers argued for the sale of the broadcast rights, they argued against sale of the parking lots. This has MLB taking a long hard look at the bidding process to ensure none of any sale money is diverted for further personal use by outgoing owner Frank McCourt who needs to raise $130 million dollars as part of his divorce settlement from his estranged wife Jamie. After MLB rejected the Dodgers $3 billion, 17 year deal with Fox last summer, McCourt entered the club into bankruptcy court. MLB’s concern is that no additional monies be diverted from the team to the McCourt’s for their personal use including the payment of the aforementioned divorce settlement.

All that’s really known with any certainty as of now is that the sale must be completed by the end of April this year and that there will certainly be a number of twists and turns as this process plays itself out.

Billy Beane decided to essentially toss any hope for A’s fans out the window yesterday when he dealt young ace in the making Trevor Cahill and effective RP Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks for SP prospect Jarrod Parker and two “prospects”. This move is significant for the D’backs as their outlook on 2012 takes a sudden jump by adding a ground ball specialist with the best sinker in the game since former D’Backs ace, Brandon Webb.

By adding Cahill the D’backs add a ton of depth in a rotation that was questionable at the end. I think Cahill is the best pitcher on the D’backs right now, and will likely continue to get better if he can command his sinker a bit better going forward. I tweet’d yesterday that I have been wary of Cahill’s health. While watching him in 2012 I noticed a slight difference in both his arm angle and the depth of his sinker. Although he regressed on a statistical end, which was expected, he also gave me warning signs on the eye test. If I’m wrong, which is quite possible, Arizona wins this trade in a vacuum. Reason I say that is because Parker will likely perform significantly better in Oakland than he would in Arizona. The ballpark factor cannot be denied here in Parker’s side, much less in Cahill’s due to his extreme ground ball splits. I would look to see Cahill back off of the slow breaking curve and use his power sinker a bit more, especially when pitching at home vs. teams with pop.

Parker is your typical scouts dream. He’s got big velocity, a change with depth and a slider that was much better prior to Tommy John surgery which may return but if not he can use it as a show me pitch. I don’t necessarily see how this trade really benefits anybody other than Arizona, as Cahill is likely to be better than Parker even if only by a small margin, and is cost efficient and we know what he’s going to make until 2017. If Parker develops into an ace, Oakland will almost certainly need to move him and move him quickly because they’re about the same age, only difference is that Cahill signed a team-friendly extension last season. The prospects given along with Parker aren’t of impact, unless Ryan Cook magically learns how to command his breaking ball.

Arizona fans have a lot to be excited about if Cahill is healthy, but I am one of the few out there who isn’t exactly sold on that fact. Time will tell.

The "Boy Wonder"

This (past) Thanksgiving (2011) there is plenty to be thankful for. Here at Baseball Reflections we talk about baseball and usually the world baseball fans live in is a bit different from what else is going on in the world or in our lives. Yet for some of us, baseball is our lives… it’s our pastime. And when it comes to being a fan of the San Diego Padres there are some holes… gaps that need to be answered. I guess fans will have to wait and see what the off-season moves will bring and how thankful we’ll actually be. It reminds me of so many years in the past. In the history of the Padres I can think of a handful of times when Padres fans were pretty excited about the coming year.

In 1968 San Diegans were excited to have landed a Major League Baseball team for the 1969 season. In 1983 the franchise built a team that made its first trip to the World Series the following year and in 1997 they did the same for their second trip to the Fall Classic. Then in 2003 it was preparing for a move into a new ballpark. Yes, there have been some surprises along the way, the most recent being the off-season of 2008. Not many people picked the Padres to have the success they had in 2009. What made that season exciting was the fact there was a young General Manager in Jed Hoyer, who got productivity from a group of young talent. The 2011 season saw the Padres finish with a 71-91 record and the departure of Hoyer, whom I referred to in 2008 as the “Boy Wonder”.

The “Boy Wonder”, has wandered off to Chicago. I am the type of fan who gets over things very quickly when it comes to sports, yet seeing Hoyer leave had a lasting taste of bitterness. I wanted to see him succeed here, more than just what he did in 2009. Now I’ll never know. I understand why he left, bigger opportunities with bigger results. Hoyer has a chance to be part of something very unique. To be part of what the Boston Red Sox did in 2004 and what is possible in Chicago.

Fans are also left with the fact that the team declined to pick up the option of Aaron Harang (14-7/3.64) and as of right now there are questions whether or not fan favorite and All-Star Heath Bell will be back as the team’s closer. They decided not to trade him. Since they did not trade him, now he’s going to walk and the team doesn’t get what they potentially could have gotten for him during the trading deadline last season! Heath Bell wants to stay in San Diego, he loves the community, and he loves the Padres.

I don’t want to take anything away from the team’s new General Manager Josh Byrnes, he has a window of opportunity here and I eagerly anticipate what will happen. So for now, this is what I am grateful for this Thanksgiving when it comes to the Padres.

New uniforms! Yes the team will fashion new duds in 2012. Really? Team President/Chief Operating Officer Tom Garfinkel said, “We spent a lot of time listening to our fans about the uniforms over the past two years,” said Garfinkel. “What we learned is that, while the current design isn’t loved, there is also a strong feeling that this club has had so many radical changes over the years that we didn’t need another one. With that in mind, our staff worked diligently, reviewing every detail to create a more traditional baseball design that San Diegans can be proud of. The new uniforms and logos focus on the unique elements of Padres history.” My thought is, why change the team’s look if the team is winning… oh yeah. If the team is winning consistently is it necessary to have a new look? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about what we are paying for on the field? What is nice to see (and I am thankful for) is the team’s support of the community, they announced that they would supply 10,000 youth baseball players from four local Little League districts, Padres jerseys for the upcoming season as part of the club’s ongoing effort to support youth baseball. As part of this program, the teams representing Little League districts throughout San Diego County will have their choice of selecting one style of uniform worn from throughout Padres history to wear during the 2012 youth baseball season.

There is more to be thankful for, such as former Major Leaguer and Padre Phil Plantier being named as the team’s new hitting coach and the signing of veteran outfielder Mark Kotsay. Plantier had success as the team’s California League manager this past season. He took over the team midway through the season and helped lead them to a championship; he takes over for Randy Ready who was fired following the Padres season. I’m excited to see how Plantier handles the challenge he has for the coming season. Kotsay will add veteran leadership off the bench and help some of the younger talent on the team. And lastly, I am thankful for the team announcing their spring training schedule; I can always get excited about a new season of baseball.

Image taken from Google Images

Let me make this clear. I love baseball. As a kid growing up the other sports seasons started when baseball ended. If there was no game seven of the World Series, whatever the date the last game of the series was to be played was the end of the baseball season. Yes, I watched the Super Bowls, the Rose Bowls, the NBA Finals, boxing but it was only filler until baseball started all over again. Then I landed the ultimate sports fans job… working at an all sports radio station. That’s when I saw sports evolve into a year round business… and if I wanted to keep my job I needed to know what was going on 24/7 in the sports world. My main beat was covering the San Diego Padres, the team I grew up following.

Image via Wikipedia

I covered the Padres for nearly twenty years until things changed for me professionally a couple of years ago. Not that I wasn’t that true baseball fan or Padres fan during those years covering the MLB, somewhere along the way I started to see the game differently. Traditions of the game started to change and at times I felt I had to help sell the direction of the game whether I wanted to see it change or not. There were players I enjoyed seeing play day in and day out and experienced some of the funniest things and not so funniest things. It was a great job! Knowing my last day covering the MLB was inevitable, I wondered how life was going to be, well post MLB job? I think those closest to me wondered the same thing. The following season I sat in the stands on opening day and watched the game as a fan (in the stands) for the first time in nearly twenty years. I had a beer, hot dog, popcorn (not necessarily in that order) sat next to my wife and being a fan came without a hitch. A bit different from what I was use to, but very relaxing and enjoyable. Three years removed from my days covering the team, things are quite normal, now we have a daughter to pass the game on to.

With the curtains almost drawn on another season, I’m prepared for whatever the sports world wants to throw my way; ultimately I am waiting for next year. Which leads me to what was going through my mind as I saw the Milwaukee Brewers play-off run end on Sunday.

I was watching the game with family and friends and as the camera panned its lens around the ballpark you could see the different emotions on the faces of the Brewers fans. I said aloud to those near me, “At least those fans saw there season go as long as it did… for Padres fans our season ended sometime in late May”. Yet, that didn’t stop me from going to the ballpark… I was there until the third to last game of the 2011 campaign… assessing the team and what is to come in 2012.

Image by SD Dirk via Flickr

As the season came to a close, I couldn’t help but look at the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a glimmer of hope. I can see it. A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to chat with a friend of mine, Randy Johnson. Johnson, formally a special assistant to Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, is now the Padres field coordinator. Not only does he run spring training he also has the task of making sure the team’s organization is following through with its game plan. I complimented him on the success the team’s minor league system had and he shed more light in my direction. Johnson reminded me how unprecedented it could have been. Four of the seven minor league teams were in the play-offs. Two of them won championships. They could have had five or six league MVP’s if guys had stayed put, but with the big league club bringing up their young they eventually produced the Midwest League MVP Rymer Liriano (.319/62/12). Two names that fans became familiar with that shined below and had a taste of the big leagues were Anthony Rizzo and James Darnell. Jedd Gyorko, Cory Spangenberg, Alberth Martinez and Yoan Alacantra were names that shed bioluminescence bouncing from one team or another through the system this past season.

Yes, these young players have a lot to prove at the sports highest level, but for now I have no reason to dim the light at the end of the tunnel. Wait til next season!

Matt Kemp & Clayton Kershaw photo taken from Zimbio via Google Images

After a horrendous finish to the 2010 season, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti attempted to make the moves that appeared to address some of the Dodgers biggest needs heading into the 2011 season. Joe Torre and his cadre of “old school” coaches were shown the door, Juan Uribe was signed away from the rival World Series Champion Giants, Hiroki Kuroda was re-signed to stabilize the rotation, Vicente Padilla was signed to be a swingman/closer in the event Jonathon Broxton didn’t bounce back (he didn’t and he got injured again requiring surgery), Jon Garland was signed to be an innings eating 5^th starting pitcher and Marcus Thames and Jay Gibbons were signed to platoon in left field. The only one of these moves that really panned out was Kuroda who turned in a solid season remaining relatively healthy. Uribe came into camp over weight and out of shape, Padilla had yet another neck injury that required surgery and shelved him for the entire season, Garland’s shoulder finally blew up after years of pitching and iffy medical reports, Thames and Gibbons were released before the All Star break and the new batting coach (Jeff Pentland) was fired on July 20^th. In addition, Casey Blake spent nearly the entire season on the DL, Rafael Furcal was inured all of April and half of the month of May, James Loney regressed terribly at the plate, Chad Billingsley really bottomed out in the 2^nd half of the season and Andre Either completely tanked power wise after his 30 game hitting streak came to an end, complaining about his lack of a long term contract (amongst other interesting things like getting his picture taken during pre-game BP giving the double “you’re number 1” sign).

All of this left the Dodgers scrambling to field a lineup much less be competitive. The good news is that with the arrival of new batting coach, (former Dodgers player Dave Hansen) Loney had a remarkable resurgence that carried over to the end of the season, rookie call up Dee Gordon showed himself ready to be the shortstop of the future, Jerry Sands showed marked improvement after returning from a stint back in AAA, Justin Sellers showed himself to have a future as a utility player, and both Aaron Miles and Jamey Carroll played solid baseball on defense and at the plate. The better news is that several of the Dodgers young starting and relief pitchers made the most of their opportunity and really thrived. Kenley Jansen in particular really caught fire after being demoted to Triple A and having treatment for a heart condition posting an MLB record 16.7 strikeout rate per 9 innings after his return to the big club.

Even all of that great news pales in comparison to the best development news for the two members of the 2011 LA Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp both had break through seasons of the ages for the Dodgers franchise. Kershaw (age 23) finished leading in the NL pitching “triple crown” categories: Wins (21-tied for 1^st with Arizona’s Ian Kennedy) Strikeouts 248 and ERA 2.28. After three full MLB seasons his career ERA sits at 2.88.  Kershaw is the hands down, odds on favorite to win the 2011 NL Cy Young Award (despite what the talking heads at ESPN say). The keys to his big breakthrough in 2011 were a much more consistent changeup, use of his slider more than his curve and a drastic reduction in his walk rate. The sky appears to be the limit for Kershaw.

As remarkable as Kershaw’s season was – Kemp’s may have been more notable only because it was less expected. Kemp (age 27) who has always possessed world class athleticism and ability clearly appeared to have been worn down by Joe Torre, Larry Bowa and Bob Schieffer’s old school, in your face approach, especially in the 2^nd half of the 2010 season. “Kemper”came into 2011 in great shape, focused, motivated and more relaxed with Don Mattingly’s lower key approach. Kemp found himself in pursuit of the ever elusive NL offensive triple crown chase until the final few days of the season, finishing one home run short of becoming the 5^th player in MLB history to join the 40/40 (homeruns  and stolen bases in the same season) club. For 2011 Kemp finished 1^st in homeruns (39), RBI’s (126) and his .324 batting average was good for 3^rd in the NL. These numbers put him in the NL MVP discussion. For a team that finished 82-79 to have an NL Cy Young AND an MVP candidate is really odd, but that’s a testament to the strong seasons the LA Super K’s (Kemp and Kershaw) had!

The Dodgers played much better baseball in the 2^nd half, particularly from August 1^st through the end of the season. The question going forward is can they carry over their strong finish to 2012? At 82-79 the Dodgers finished above break even but it took them until the final day of the season to be that far above .500 for the first time since mid April. Any reflection of the 2011 Dodgers must include at least a brief discussion of the absolutely dreadful ownership situation. Currently the Dodgers are in bankruptcy court and the team and MLB continue to file competing motions for various things like control of the team, its payroll and broadcasting contracts. Commissioner Bud Selig has indicated he wants the bankruptcy and ownership questions cleared up prior to the start of MLB’s off season, soon after the World Series is completed, to allow the Dodgers to secure new ownership and financing which will allow the club to set a budget going forward for roster needs for the 2012 season.

As a lifelong Dodger fan I can tell you that the beating of Brian Stow (who continues to recover slowly) on Opening Day, the discovery that Frank and Jamie McCourt have stripped the Dodgers of liquidity in support of their lavish lifestyles and watching Dodger Stadium on TV be less than half full while protests occur on the streets leading into the parking lot, and the lackluster play for a good part of the season were particularly distressing. Yet the season of Kemp and Kershaw and the emergence of some young talent do give a flicker of hope to the Dodgers in 2012. The pitching staff (under the unheralded but very effective leadership of pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, the lone hold over from Joe Torre’s tenure) looks promising, and the Dodgers offensive core has one more year under contractual control (Ethier, Kemp and Loney all are eligible for free agency after 2012). With Gordon coming and a return to health of Uribe, the Dodgers are one really big bat (Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols how you feel about LA?) from bouncing back into contention in the NL West. But all that rests on how soon the ownership situation gets worked out. Hey we are talking about LA – land of Hollywood, Disneyland, etc. where the dreams are big and hope springs eternal…right?