SB Nation User Blog: Phil Gurnee

McCourt smells like an old fishmarket

Phil Gurnee — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:39:32 -0000

Ashen faced - when all the blood drains from your face when you have come to the conclusion that the optimism was mis-placed and the negative nellies were probably right all along.

Color me ashen faced.

Back in 2004 Rob McMillin of the excellent blog 6-4-2 blog linked to a story that should have sent chills down the spine of every Dodger fan. I hadn't started reading blogs back then but if I had I'm sure I would have shrugged it off as just another blogger with an axe to grind. I welcomed the McCourts because by then they had hired DePodesta and I was feeling optimistic about the future and I wasn't interested in the cries of doom and gloom.

In the beginning everything was probably going even better then they planned with the value of the team increasing in value enough for them to keep adding debt even without increasing cash flow. I didn't become skeptical of the McCourts until the summer of 2008 when they started making decisions that openly made me question if they had the cash to run the Dodger franchise properly. Dave Young asked me on Tuesday Night why no one was talking about the financial situation until this year. I didn't want to tell Dave that I and many other bloggers have been questioning the McCourts for over 15 months and some like 6-4-2 for every year of their ownership. Of course no one was reading this blog back then so I'm sure my concerns were not read by more then a handful of Dodger fans. Since I wrote that column not one Dodger financial decision has been made that has made anyone feel like the Dodgers don't have financial constraints.

The divorce simply complicates a situation that already existed. I have no idea what is going on with the Dodgers financially, and I hope like hell that Dennis Mannion can clean up whatever mess the McCourts have created. Dodger fans should think about suing Bud Selig for even letting the McCourts buy the team; if a blogger in 2004 can dig up a story like the fish market fiasco it is obvious that Selig did not do his due diligence when allowing the McCourts to own the team.

I'll admit that for a few years they were good stewards of this franchise and the success on the field has been impressive for most of their tenure. I'll give them that. I'll give them the fact they were able to buy one of most recognized sports franchises in baseball with little money of their own. How they got away with it is something we as Dodger fans will always wonder about but it is impressive to me that they got it done. I'll give them the fact they borrowed capital to improve the grand old lady of Los Angeles. I'll give the fact they created Think Cure and have tried to make the Dodgers more community conscious. Over the five years they have owned the team they have done good things.

I'll take it all back if they destroy this franchise and little by little that is what they have been doing since July 31st, 2008, the day the music died at Dodger Stadium even as they played deep into the playoffs. It is hard to tell if we are teetering on the brink of disaster as what happened in Baltimore, or if this is simply a short term problem that will eventually sort itself out. I'm not feeling very optimistic tonight. Are you?

Jason Repko versus Xavier Paul

Phil Gurnee — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:21:04 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Jason Repko appears to be the frontrunner for the 4th outfielder job if Juan Pierre is dealt.(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

Based on what Ned Colletti is saying, Jason Repko appears to be staying around for the moment. With the Dodgers trying very hard to trade Juan Pierre and his contract for either a starting pitcher or a 2nd baseman the battle for who becomes the Dodger fourth outfielder looks to come down to Jason Repko or Xavier Paul. It would seem a given that Paul is the better candidate to be the fourth outfielder but is he?

They both can play all the positions of the outfield, they both have plus speed, and they both have guns for arms. So that is how they are the same. How they are different is probably why I think that Repko might be the better fit for a fourth outfielder role.

The Dodgers starting outfield is Manny, Kemp, and Andre. Of those three only one has a serious chink in their armor. That chink is that Andre does not hit left handed pitching very well. For his career Andre has a 200 point split in his OPS between facing RHP and LHP. Last year that split widened to .926 compared to .629. Part of the problem the Dodgers had last year with Pierre on the bench was that we could not use Pierre in RF to sit Andre against some LHP. The gain in moving Kemp to RF and Pierre to CF,with the left handed Pierre facing left handed pitching just wasn't worth it.

Jason Repko does many things well that you would look for in a backup outfielder. The thing he does best however is mash LHP. His slug% against LHP over the last three minor league season has been greater then .585 every year and twice it has topped .600. The Dodgers have a need for guy who can hit LHP and play RF. Repko can be that guy. What he can't do is hit RHP, so the Dodgers will need to have a guy like Minky on the bench who can handle that role.

Xavier Paul does everything as well as Repko in the field. Repko is faster on bases. What Paul does not do well is hit LHP. He hits RHP as well as Repko hits LHP but my argument is that this team needs someone to caddy for Andre. If Manny was to get hurt, then I'd bring up Paul to be the everyday LF not Repko, but for a guy off the bench Repko might be that guy.

Last year I had a hard time finding a good RHH platoon player when looking for an upgrade for the Dodgers. Shockingly they are had to find which is why you see guys like Gabe Kapler still playing. Repko is not a good player but Repko might be exactly what the Dodgers need for the way this team is built.

Of course I would rather have had Jamie Hoffmann then Repko but the Dodgers felt differently and I'm not quite sure why. There was the comment that when Hoffmann signed he was promised to be put back on the 40 man in May. I'd like to ask Ned if Hoffmann had also asked that he be left off the 40 man so he would be unprotected and a team could pick him up via the rule five if they wanted him. He or his agent had to have known that when the Dodgers released him last summer that the 40 man rosters were full so he would only get a minor league deal, so resigning with the Dodgers made sense back then when no one claimed him. But if I'm his agent I would have made part of the deal that he not only be promised to be put back on the 40 by May of 2010 but that he be left of the 40 man before the rule five draft because otherwise it makes absolutely no sense given the room the Dodgers had on the 40 man that he was not included. Just my thoughts, I could be way off base.

Dodger Top 10 Prospects per Baseball America

Phil Gurnee — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:37:10 -0000

Here you go, no real surprises. John Perotto will be chatting at 10:00 AM for those who have questions and are members.

However, they're starting to replenish the lower levels of the system with athletic position players and live-armed pitchers from recent drafts, led by shortstop Dee Gordon, righthanders Chris Withrow and Ethan Martin, and lefty Aaron Miller. Los Angeles rarely exceeds the bonus recommendations from the commissioner's office—its total of $8.5 million spent on bonuses in 2008-09 ranks last in MLB—yet has a knack for finding talent in the later rounds. The two best position players in the system, Gordon and outfielder Andrew Lambo, were fourth-round picks. Two of the better power arms, righthanders Allen Webster and Nathan Eovaldi, were 18th- and 11th-round choices in 2008.

1.	Dee Gordon, ss
2.	Chris Withrow, rhp
3.	Aaron Miller, lhp
4.	Ethan Martin, rhp
5.	Josh Lindblom, rhp
6.	Scott Elbert, lhp
7.	Andrew Lambo, of
8.	Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss
9.	Trayvon Robinson, of
10.	Allen Webster, rhp

Jon Weisman showing off all his talents

Phil Gurnee — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:29:02 -0000

Jon Weisman showing off all his talents

This is simply brilliant writing, every TBLA reader should take the time to read one of the best columns by one of the best writers of our generation. When it comes to the Dodgers, I hate myself for loving you.

Frank McCourt has a strange way of defining "Business as Usual"

Phil Gurnee — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:09:04 -0000

Eric seemed a bit ticked off today as Frank McCourt proved once again that economics is more important then fielding the best team now and in the future. When Ned Colletti was hired among the news of the divorce he said he was told that the Dodgers would conduct "Business as Usual". And he's right, the Dodgers are conducting business as usual for them. Ever since the summer of 2008 Frank has shown that he's more concerned with saving money and playing in the now then he is in the long term future of his Dodgers. Move after move has saved him money in the short term while allowing him to compete in the short term, but this strategy can only work so long, and just like leveraging the team time and time again at some point you have to pay the piper.

Many seemed shocked by todays news that the Dodgers would not offer Wolf/Hudson arbitration. I'm not sure why, the Dodgers have clearly had a trend for the last 18 months of saving money at every opportunity and being risk averse when it comes to arbitration.

Cost cutting moves since the summer of 2008.

2008

1. Selling/Trading Carlos Santana/Jon Meloan to the Indians for a free and clear Casey Blake. The ramifications were the loss of the best player in the California League who played a premium position in exchange for a good 3rd baseman for the current team at zero cost saving the team around $2,000,000. The only thing wrong with the deal was that to get the Indians to play Casey's salary the price seemed much much to high when you consider who the Indians got from the Brewers when they traded CC and didn't pay any salary.

2. Trading/Selling 2007 2nd round pick Michael Watt for Greg Maddux. Nothing wrong with getting Maddux but since we didn't want to pay any salary the cost of the prospect was kind of high for a 40 something year old pitcher who could barely go 5 quality innings.

3. Trading/Selling Andy LaRoche/Byron Morris for Manny Ramirez. Nothing wrong with acquiring Manny but again the Dodgers managed to acquire a player for the post season push at no financial cost to them by trading prospects.

In 2008 the Dodgers managed to trade Carlos Santana/Jon Meloan/Michael Watt/Andy LaRoche/Byron Morris and acquire Manny/Blake/Maddux while not taking on any salary. Surely a short term bonus to the team but quite a price to pay for the future instead of just spending some money.

2009

1. Deferring Andruw Jone's contract instead of simply eating it and not having to worry about the cost in the future. By deferring his contract it allowed them to sign Wolf/Hudson/Manny.

2. Deferring Manny's two year deal so that the pain would endure for many years to come.

3. Trading Tony Abreu for Jon Garland. The cash strapped Diamondbacks threw in some money ($3,661,102) to cover Garlands buy out and for that price they got someone who will probably be there starting 2nd baseman in 2010. The Diamondbacks now have a cheap 2nd baseman for the next several years while Dodgers have no Garland and no 2nd baseman.

4. Shockingly the Sherrill trade was not about money, but the long term ramifications might be felt for years to come as Josh Bell and Steve Johnson were ripped from the system.

5. With the possibility of gaining four high draft picks the Dodgers opt to not offer arbitration to Randy Wolf or Orlando Hudson because of the fear of having to pay them even though the odds of them accepting arbitration were not very high. And even if they did accept, one year deals for productive players in their 30's is usually a good plan of attack. For once they may have screwed themselves not only in the short term but in the long term. In the long term Eric noted the value of those draft picks is in the millions with these tweets from Jay Jaffe:

4 years ago Nate Silver estimated that team losing type A f-a is compensated with $12 million in draft picks.

So, for avoiding 4 bonuses ($1-2 mil per, max), Dodgers lose out on $24 mil of picks by not offering Hudson & Wolf arb. #mccourtsmustgo

In the short term we certainly could have used either Wolf or Hudson in 2010 on one year deals.

Also in 2008/2009 the Memories of Kevin Malone chronicles how the Dodgers over the last two years have spent the least amount of money on draft bonuses

The Dodgers have paid $8.5 million in signing bonuses for draft picks over the last two years -- the lowest figure among all major league teams, according to Baseball America.

The Dodgers, so proud of their heritage in Asia and Latin America, today are a non-factor in bidding for top amateur players abroad. In 2008, according to Baseball America, major league clubs combined to sign 115 such players for bonuses of more than $100,000. The Dodgers did not sign one.

Let us not forget how they handled the following draft picks as Eric reported in the comments.

2006: Dodgers draft Alex White in 14th round, big time talented P out of HS, don’t sign him (he went #15 to Indians in 2009)
2007: Dodgers draft Kyle Blair in 5th round, fail to sign him for $1.35m…he goes to USD and will be 1st rounder in2010.

And you wonder why I was shocked that Garret Gould was signed. I wonder what Logan White had to do to make that happen?

Face it, this ownership has cash flow problems and has done everything it can possibly do to mitigate current financial obligations by either deferring the problems to the future or selling assets (prospects) to help them compete in the short term. A $100 Million dollar payroll is no small amount but when your competition in the NLCS is spending $140 Million it might seem you are playing with an arm tied behind your back. However the Padres won't feel sorry for the Dodgers since the Dodgers outspend the Padres by the same margin.

Amazingly with all of this the team still has a core good enough to get back to the postseason but now I'm wondering who will be next to finance the short term goal as they throw the long term vision away?

If Frank came out and said, you know I've got some financial problems and we need to cut back until we get this straightened out, I'd feel like writing a Hobo Frank column saying we should support this team. I could live with the current team as we throw out Haeger/McDonald/Elbert/Lindblom into the rotation along with a host of cheap NRI's. I could live with DeWitt/Belliard manning 2nd base until DeJesus is ready. I can live with having to go cheap with the farm in combination with what we currently have. What I can't live with is bullshit PR spin about Business as Usual and the selling of the future because they don't have the cash for the present. This may be business as usual for Frank McCourt but it is not how Dodgers fans expect the team to be run. At least I hope not.

Killing arbitration time

Phil Gurnee — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:20:48 -0000

As we wait for who the Dodgers are going to offer arbitration to, lets take a look at the prospects one last time before BA comes out with their top ten list this Friday.

Last year this was how the Dodger prospect list looked. Several weeks ago TBLA voters decided who they wanted as their as their top 15 prospects.

So here is my top 30 list. I've never liked ranking players 1 - 30 combining hitters and pitchers so I'm going to do it a little differently. This is how I've always done it but this will be the first time I'll publish it this way. This is not what I expect BA to rank our players, this is what I think about them.

We seem quite deep in pitching, but I don't see one impact bat in our midst unless Dee Gordon turns his raw talent into Jose Reyes.

So what do I see

A starting SS in Dee Gordon, ceiling of Reyes, low side Christian Guzman. Could be an exciting catalyst with his explosive speed or simply a Jose Offerman whose defense ruined any offensive contribution he made.

A starting 2nd in DeJesus with a ceiling of Luis Castillo without the stolen bases. Castillo had no power but was able to maintain a high OB rate, however part of that was due to his excellent speed which DeJesus does not possess. The key to Ivan is maintaining his excellent plate discipline once he cracks the major leagues. If he is unable to do that then he'll never amount to much and may not even have a career as good as his father.

Robinson probably a fourth outfielder but he might just keep improving enough to be a viable major league center fielder. He made huge strides in 2009, if he continues to improve instead of plateau we might have something interesting.

Lambo might end up being nothing at all, or at best a Jeremy Hermida in LF. Thoughts of him being a 30-35 home run guy seem misplaced. His pedestrain summer gave way to an impressive beginning to the AFL season but by the time the AFL season had ended he was sucking wind and wasn't impressing anyone who saw him. Still, only 20 in AA he deserves the chance to prove that 2009 was just a speed bump and not a wall. As many have said he probably would have torn up the California League if he had not been skipped and we'd still be excited. My main problem is not that Lambo won't hit but that he won't hit enough to be worthwhile as a left fielder. At least not as a premium left fielder and I'm not very interested in a ho hum hitting left fielder. I'd really like Lambo to succeed, he went to High School not to far away from me, his name is Lambo and I was born a Packer fan, plus he was a trouble maker in high school and I've always rooted for the rebellious ones provided they aren't jerks.

Jonathan Garcia did his work this year as a real 17 year old and was impressive, so maybe by this time next year he will be the talk of the organization. I've never seen him, I've only seen the stats, he rated this high because of what he did at age 17. To bad we can't find any good comps for him from the Arizona League other then Adam Jones and Jonathan is not expected to stay in center field.

May had fallen off the prospect map but his big summer, excellent World Cup tournament, and solid AFL puts him back with room to spare. If he truly is improving defensively he might just have a major league career after all.

After watching so many Dodger prospect fail to impress as a Loon, it was a revelation to see what Kyle Russell did in that league when he made contact. He has an impact bat, but the question looms will his bat make enough contact for it to matter? Canuck says no way, I say don't be so quick to bury him.

Delmonico has a strong bat but has to go such a long way as a catcher that I can't really tell if he is going to be able to make the transition.

I'm probably ranking Gerald Sands to high compared to Scott Van Slyke but of the two I'm betting on Gerald Sands.

Scott Van Slyke was so bad for most of his minor league career I simply need to see more before I can get serious about him as a viable corner outfielder prospect.

Galvez was our best hitter from the 2009 draft. We know he can destory rookie league pitching, now we need to find out if he can handle the next level. BA says no, but this guy has such a great back story, I'll be rooting for him to prove them wrong.

Baez and Gallagher took huge steps back this past season. Baez may have one more year before they turn him into the next Kenley Jansen. Gallagher had shoulder problems so he gets a mulligan but he still drops quite a ways as he gets passed by productive prospects.

As pedestrian as our hitters appear to be our pitching is loaded with high upside big arm kids.

Elbert may be dismissed by BA, but his big arm might be just what the Dodgers need in 2010 to replace Randy Wolf. He has the stuff to succeed in the bullpen if he does not pan out in the rotation. This wild ass lefty has walked 4.8 batters per nine innings during his minor league stint. Yet, in AAA last year he improved that to 3.7 in a tough hitters park. I make fun of Elbert but I'm a fan when I'm being rational and not emotional and I hope he gets a shot in the rotation.

Chris Withrow is going to be a stud if he doesn't blow out his arm. Same could be said for several of these pitchers, but of those pitchers, WIthrow probably has the highest upside. He's going to be the talk of the prospect circles next summer.

Aaron Miller not only pitched like a first round draft but like an early first round draft pick. After impressing everyone while pitching for the Loons, he also got in some time in the AFL, and before he was shut down, scouts were amazed he was passed up by so many teams.

Ethan Martin is another big armed right hander who has a huge ceiling. Some would say he has a bigger upside then Withrow. I'm just glad we have both of them.

Lindblom quietly put together a solid year considering it was his first complete professional season. He didn't wow people but he was effective in the tough AAA PCL environment. DeJon said he's still being considered as a starter even though he pitched mostley in relief at AAA. Not as high a ceiling as many on this list but if I was going to be a conservative better I'd bet that he has the best chance of having the longest major league career.

Hard to believe but Allen Webster might have as good as stuff as the number one picks WIthrow and Martin even though he was snagged in the 18th round in 2008. He wore out at the end of the year, can't wait to see what he does in 2010.

Nathan Eovaldi another big armed right hand pitcher. At times he looked better then Martin this year and could easily end up being the best of this lot.

In 2010 we will see what all the hoopla is regarding Gould, for now he's ranked here simply on his reputation.

So we have gone eight deep and each of these pitchers has a fairly high ceiling. Lindblom probably has the lowest ceiling but might have the best chance of reaching that ceiling.

Kenley Jansen has only thrown a few professional innings and I'm probably ranking him to high but when he does throw, he throws gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssss. Pure petrol. Wait until spring training, fans are going to go gaa gaa over this guy. He strikes out two for every one he walks but he walks about one hitter per inning. That will need to change but if it does then watch out.

The rest of the group could be decent pitchers, none of them have the upside of the top eight. Danielson has been percolating in the rookie leagues and really put some quality innings together in 2009. Next year we will see if he is going to keep improving. Frias was a big fan of DeJon Watson, made some big strides, could be comer. Aquasviva might be a solid man out of the bullpen along with Schlichting. Miller is here because I'm not giving up on his heavy sinker and Wallach is here because of where he was drafted and how he peformed in a small sample size this summer.

As unexcited as I am about our hitters that is made up with the anticipation of what these big arms could accomplish over the next few years.

Los Angeles Dodgers Top Prospect Ranking

Order	Hitter	Pitcher
1st	Dee Gordon	Scott Elbert
2nd	Ivan DeJesus	Chris Withrow
3rd	Trayvon Robinson	Aaron Miller
4th	Andrew Lambo	Ethan Martin
5th	Xavier Paul	Joshua Lindblom
6th	Jonathan Garcia	Allen Webster
7th	Luke May	Nathan Eovaldi
8th	Kyle Russell	Garrett Gould
9th	Anthony Delmonico	Kenley Jansen
10th	Gerald Sands	Danny Danielson
11th	Steven Caseres	Carlos Frias
12th	Scott VanSlyke	Geison Aguasviva
13th	Brian Cavazos-Galvez	Jon Michael Redding
14th	Pedro Baez	Brett Wallach
15th	Austin Gallagher	Justin Miller
HON	Gorman Erickson	Travis Schlichting

Updated Dodger 1st Baseman Win Shares

Phil Gurnee — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:54:33 -0000

For the last two years I've done a rundown of Los Angeles Dodger Win Shares. In many circles Win Shares has become passe as WAR has become the stat of choice, but because I built the complete Win Share database based on data in the original book plus the subsequent Bill James Handbooks I haven't felt like letting go. For those who have never heard of Win Shares, it is a statistic created by Bill James the author of the great The Bill James Baseball Abstract series which changed many a baseball fans perception of the game. I used to link to a Rob Neyer review of Win Shares but the article is now gone. For a more recent story, THT compares WAR to Win Shares. THT used to carry their own tweaked version of Win Shares but stopped after the 2008 season. Here is what the 2008 Season Win Share breakdown looked like.

Sure Win Shares is not the be all stat, but it is still interesting to see how the breakdown works. It is a complex algorithm but the guts is that each team is credited with three win shares per actual win. Bill James then works his magic to allocate those wins based on statistical measures to each player on the team.

Here is the 2009 season update.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2009 Win Shares

Player	Win Shares
Matt Kemp	26
Andre Ethier	21
Orlando Hudson	20
Casey Blake	19
James Loney	18
Manny Ramirez	18
Rafael Furcal	17
Russell Martin	16
Jon Broxton	16
Randy Wolf	14
Juan Pierre	12
Clayton Kershaw	12
Chad Billingsley	9
Ramon Troncoso	8
Ronaldo Belisario	7
Hiroki Kuroda	5
Jeff Weaver	5
G Mota	4
Hong-Chih Kuo	3
Mark Loretta	3
James McDonald	3
Brad Ausmus	3

Castro and Stults had two each, while EyeChart, Wade, Abreu, Milton, Haeger, and Elbert had a single win share. Based on the formual the Dodgers would have had 285 win shares (95 * 3) to spread among it's players. I have no way of knowing how many win shares Sherrill(13), Belliard(7), and Padilla(8) had since they don't break them up per team. If you add up all of the Dodgers including those three we have 13 extra win shares which means they should be divided among the trade/waiver deadline pickups.

James Loney was the only 1st baseman of note to garner any Win Shares for the Dodgers in 2009. His season was quite pedestrian by most measures but he did have the 5th most win shares on the team in 2009 with 18. He's yet to crack the top 10 single season win share mark but after only three full seasons he's moved into 5th place on the all-time 1st baseman Win Share list passing Gil Hodges and Greg Brock. For many of you this is the first time you have seen this list, so I'll remind you that this only includes Los Angeles Dodgers. It has been 19 years since the last memorable season by a Dodger 1st baseman.

Los Angeles Dodgers Seasonal Win Share Leaders for 1st Baseman

Player	Order	Career Win Shares	Year	Win Shares
Murray, Eddie	1st	68	1990	31
Parker, Wes	2nd	146	1970	29
Garvey, Steve	3rd	223	1974	27
Garvey, Steve	4th	223	1976	26
Karros, Eric	T-5th	175	1995	25
Garvey, Steve	T-5th	223	1978	25
Garvey, Steve	T-5th	223	1975	25
Karros, Eric	T-8th	175	1998	22
Garvey, Steve	T-8th	223	1980	22
Garvey, Steve	T-8th	223	1979	22

For the career totals and complete seasonal leaders for 1st baseman click on read more.

Many Dodgers played 1st and the outfield. Ron Fairly was the 1st baseman for the early part of the 60's before Wes Parker took over. Mike Marshall played many games at 1st and in the outfield. Same with Franklin Stubbs. Someday I may break out the career numbers but for now I'm lumping them into the 1st/OF category.

Career Win Shares for LA Dodger 1st Baseman

Player	TWS	Pos
Garvey, Steve	223	1st
Karros, Eric	175	1st
Parker, Wes	146	1st
Murray, Eddie	68	1st
Loney, James	51	1st
Brock, Greg	47	1st
Hodges, Gil	37	1st
Garciaparra, Nomar	29	1st
Farily, Ron	142	1st/OF
Mike, Marshall	108	1st/OF
Buckner, Billy	80	1st/OF
Larker, Norm	35	1st/OF
Stubbs, Franklin	34	1st/OF

Los Angeles Dodgers Seasonal Win Share Leaders for 1st Baseman

Player	Pos	Career Win Shares	Year	Win Share Per Season
Murray, Eddie	1st	68	1990	31
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1970	29
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1974	27
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1976	26
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1995	25
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1978	25
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1975	25
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1998	22
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1980	22
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1979	22
Murray, Eddie	1st	68	1989	21
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1977	21
Farily, Ron	1st	142	1963	21
Farily, Ron	1st	142	1962	21
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1999	20
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1996	20
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1965	20
Garciaparra, Nomar	1st	29	2006	18
Karros, Eric	1st	175	2002	18
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1997	18
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1971	18
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1969	18
Loney, James	1st	51	2009	18
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1966	17
Farily, Ron	1st	142	1964	17
Hodges, Gil	1st	37	1959	17
Loney, James	1st	51	2007	16
Murray, Eddie	1st	68	1991	16
Loney, James	1st	51	2008	15
Brock, Greg	1st	47	1985	15
Brock, Greg	1st	47	1983	15
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1982	15
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1967	15
Farily, Ron	1st	142	1961	15
Karros, Eric	1st	175	2000	14
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1972	14
Larker, Norm	1st	35	1960	14
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1992	13
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1981	13
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1968	12
Hodges, Gil	1st	37	1958	12
Garvey, Steve	1st	223	1973	11
Buckner, Billy	1st	80	1973	11
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1993	10
Stubbs, Franklin	1st	34	1987	9
Brock, Gregg	1st	47	1986	9
Karros, Eric	1st	175	2001	8
Brock, Greg	1st	47	1984	8
Larker, Norm	1st	35	1959	8
Karros, Eric	1st	175	1994	7
Larker, Norm	1st	35	1958	7
Stubbs, Franklin	1st	34	1988	6
Larker, Norm	1st	35	1961	6
Hodges, Gil	1st	37	1961	5
Farily, Ron	1st	142	1959	5
Loney, James	1st	51	2006	3
Parker, Wes	1st	146	1964	3
Hodges, Gil	1st	37	1960	3
Farily, Ron	1st	142	1958	2

Wall Street takes a swing at the McCourts

Phil Gurnee — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:52:57 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

A pensive McCourt worries about making his mortgages and keeping the Dodgers as he cries poor in Divorce Court.

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As try as we might we can't ignore the elephant in the room this Winter. On Sunday local Los Angeles NPR station KPCC (89.3) did a gig on the McCourts, for their town hall journal.

Angelenos have been concerned about their beloved Dodgers ever since the cherished O'Malley family sold the franchise to Rupert Murdoch. Now that Frank and Jamie McCourt are in the midst of a very public divorce, fans fears are again on the rise. Join us this week as TOWN HALL Journal presents a brief history of Dodgers management as heard at TOWN HALL. This week's Journal includes Jamie McCourt's address at TOWN HALL when the family first came to Los Angeles, and this year's program with Frank McCourt. Both underscore the McCourt's commitment to the team and the community. They discuss the importance of the Dodgers Dream Foundation and the newly instituted "Ramirez Provision" which asks each Dodger to make a financial commitment to the community as part of their contract. The Vault segment features Tommy Lasorda from 1997 touting the importance of the team staying in the O'Malley family because "the game belongs to the fans." Host Judy Muller explores fan anxieties with Jon Weisman writer of the LA Times "Dodger Thoughts" blog. Finally, we take to the streets to get the fans feedback on the fate of their Los Angeles Dodgers. If you're blue about the Dodgers, you won't want to miss this show.

Today the Wall Street Journal took a look at the financial filings of the McCourt per the Divorce. Yikes

Ms. McCourt had been the Dodgers' chief executive until Mr. McCourt recently fired her from the job. In claiming sole ownership of the Dodgers, he pointed to a 2004 marital-property agreement the couple signed. His court filings contend the agreement gave him ownership of the Dodgers while she got ownership of the couple's residential properties. She disputes the claim.

While she owns the homes, he co-signed the mortgages, and the loans are currently $230,000 in arrears, his court filing said. His credit "is immediately and currently being adversely affected" by the past-due payments, the filing said. It asked the court to direct Ms. McCourt to "immediately bring the subject mortgage payments current."

The divorce filing by Ms. McCourt claimed that Mr. McCourt "has failed to pay a number of their living expenses since at least July 2009," including home mortgage payments, property taxes, utility bills and staff wages. Now that she no longer has her $2 million Dodgers salary, she was "no longer in a position to pay" all of her expenses, Ms. McCourt's filing said.

Listen to the KPCC gig, read the Wall Street Journal article, and then scream into a towel. And you guys are debating a Roy Halladay trade? Forget about it, this is going to be a no frills winter with plenty of PR pap to keep the Season Ticket holders from leaving but no real substance. That is my stance but hopefully I'm wrong. We will find out a bit more on Tuesday if Orlando is not offered arbitration because they fear he'd accept. If they are afraid of a Hudson contract only Jehovah knows what our future holds.

Kensai gives us his 2010 plan

Phil Gurnee — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:04:12 -0000

Kensai gives us his 2010 plan

Right off the bat, I like the fact he's not increasing payroll and is basing his decisions on the current payroll. Anyone can make a better team by increasing payroll but that scenario may be unrealistic so let us see what he comes up with playing by the same rules as last year.

Frustrations and Celebrations

Phil Gurnee — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:49:30 -0000

Time for a quick fluff piece while we wait for the winter meetings. The Dodgers have had substantial success over the last two seasons but that success was mitigated by failure to advance past the NLCS. Normally we at TBLA are a positive group but this November I'm feeling disgruntled about our future. So for every irritation I have with the team I'll try to counter with a positive.

Irriations	Celebrations
James Loney going backward instead of forward. After his 2007 we had every reason to believe that Loney was going to be an impact player, instead over the last two years his offensive production has him ranked with the bottom feeders as this position.	He is a kick ass post season player, fun guy to root for, still has one more year to turn it around before he's gets to expensive for his production.
Our All-Star 2nd baseman not getting the time of day from the great communicator to explain why he sat most of Sept and the complete post-season.	Trading for Ronny Belliard who inexplicably has been one of my favorite players to watch over the last few years, and then have him kick Kensai ass with a spectacular Sept performance.
Rafy Furcal playing just about every game and making Juan Pierre look like a great lead off hitter.	At least he was healthy and played somewhat good defense.
Ivan DeJesus breaking his leg.	The Beard putting up his best complete season of his career at age 35
Russel Martin turning into the bad Jason Kendall just 1 1/2 years after I picked him as a possible MVP in 2008. Now he's going to be expensive, his offense blows, and as ~~Tripon~~ Seanny Rotten noted in a fanshot, by some metrics his defense also blows. This is a particular irritation for me because one of the Dodgers huge advantages had been the big boost from the catching position. Without that advantage, it will be harder as the competition gets better and cheaper at the position while we get worse and expensive.	Other then fact he's young and might turn it around I got nothing good to say about Martin other then his middle name.
Manny's deffered contract is going to be a pain in the ass for several years unless the owner increases payroll to make up for it.	At least we should still have an above average LF for one more year, and Manny is always fun to watch.
Juan Pierre is still on the team, not because he can't be a decent players but because his salary is such an anchor on a team with what appears to be a very limited ability to spend money. My particular irritation is not with Pierre but with those who point to his time when he filled in for Manny and talk about how great he was. He was great, but it was for one month and they seem to incredibly forget he played two months and his suckitude in the 2nd month seems to have been completely forgotten.	Beast Mode in May was one of the highlights of 2009.
Deferred contracts in general - I hate them.
After several years of TBLA telling everyone how good Billingsley is, he decides to become a five inning pitcher and sometimes not even that. You won't see any comparisons this year to Chad and the best of the historical Dodger pitchers 25 years and younger.	All-Star Chad was quite a pitcher for the first few months of the year.
That Charlie Haeger didn't get more of a chance.	Padilla took Lima time and doubled down.
That Scott Elbert didn't get one start this year.
That McDonald totally blew during his brief stint in the rotation possibly poisoning management from giving other kids a shot.	Coming back into the bullpen and showing he still has big league stuff.
That Broxton didn't erase the ghost of Matt Stairs.	What a regular season.Other then the stretch with the bad toe that was one of the best non enhanced steroid relief seasons in Dodger history.
Matt Kemp's 2nd half performance	Matt Kemps complete season performance. He is already one of the best CF in the game. Please keep improving, you are a big reason to watch the Dodgers right now.
Kuo's fragile arm	Kuo's incredible arm
That Carlos Santana is not a Dodger
That Josh Bell is not a Dodger
That Tony Abreu is not a Dodger
That other then Matt Kemp, and the younger version of the current Dodger catcher, Logan White has not provided the Dodgers with an impact bat during he reign.	The plethora of pitchers that Logan White has provided for the Dodgers during his reign.
Jamie and Frank McCourt	Josh Rawitch
The Divorce
Ned Colletti	Ned Colleti
Drunken bad behavior Dodger Fans	Drunken fun as hell Dodger fans
Rick Monday	Vin Scully
Bil Plaschke	Jon Weisman & Eric Stephen
Lambo's 2009 mediocre season	Chris Withrow's excellent season
The fact that because Frank couldn't bite the bullet we will be paying Andruw Jones for years
Mark Loretta taking the Mark Sweeney route to retirement	one at bat in the post season goes a long way toward forgiveness.
Manny's 50 game suspension still irks the hell out of me	The future with Kershaw, Billingsley, Broxton, Andre, and Kemp.