Dodger Stadium - A View from the Dugout

As I visited Dodger Stadium for the final comments from Dodger players and executives yesterday, I was struck by how much the day felt like the last day of school (well, if the last day of school followed a brutal exam that everyone felt they did really poorly on).  Still, it was a gorgeous and brilliant day – the perfect day for baseball, really – and a feeling of optimism was in the air as conversations turned to next year and the hope that lingered on the horizon for the Dodgers.

Like my friend Steve Sax from the Sons of Steve Garvey, I tried to capture the moment as Dodger Stadium prepared to enter the off-season and rest it’s weary bones for what is sure to be an exciting 2010 campaign.  I didn’t even realize that Friday was supposed to be Game 6 until I read the Sons’ account of yesterday, which made the day all the more bittersweet.

So since Spring Training is all about getting the guys mentally as well as physically prepared for the upcoming season, right?  Well, if I was Joe Torre, I’d tap Tiger Woods, one of the most famous Dodger fans out there, to come on over to Glendale, tour Camelback Ranch and fire up the troops!

Come on, the guy came back early from a devastating knee injury and just competed in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championships in nearby Marana, AZ (well, it’s about 100 miles away).  Since Tiger was eliminated yesterday, he clearly has some unexpected free time on his hands and I’m sure he would love a trip to sunny Glendale to see the new digs (Josh Rawitch, just think about the positive PR this would generate for the team!).

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m really getting tired of the Manny Ramirez tug of war going on and I’ll take whatever sort of distraction I can get these days!

BORAS REJECTS DODGERS 

OFFER TO MANNY RAMIREZ

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers today received a letter from Scott Boras, the agent for Manny Ramirez, rejecting the offer that the club made yesterday.  This rejection is the fourth by the agent in the club’s attempts to sign Manny.

“We love Manny Ramirez,” said Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt, “And we want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves.  When his agent finds those ‘serious offers’ from other clubs, we’ll be happy to re-start the negotiations.

“Even with an economy that has substantially eroded since last November, out of respect for Manny and his talents, we actually improved our offer. 

“So now, we start from scratch.”

Here’s my theory: the report was leaked by Boras’ team.  Think about it.  Negotiations seem to have been accelerating over the past few days between Boras and the Dodgers.  Boras is probably wondering if there are any teams that want one last shot at signing the best right-handed batter of the past 12 years, and what better way to find out the answer than to leak yesterday’s news?  If no teams comes forward, the deal could get done with the Dodgers by the end of the week.  If the Giants or another team enter the mix, watch out.

If you ask me, a two-year contract with an option for a third year at about $20-$25 million per year is totally acceptable for an aging, yet still incredibly productive, Manny Ramirez.  Now Ned just needs to bring the deal home.

According to MLB, Hudson signed a one-year deal worth $3.4 million with some nice incentives built in that could kick him over $4.5 mil for the year. Hudson replaces the aging Jeff Kent who decided to retire at the end of last season.

This is a relative bargain if Hudson plays to his capability as he was earning over $6 million last year and was hoping for a multi-year deal for over $10 million per year but the falling free agent market took care of those dreams.

Hudson was batting .305 last season before an injury cut his season short. Let’s hope we get him back at his forrner level of glory and not another Andruw Jones

In particular, Billy DeLury admitted to the Los Angeles Times that he missed the team’s old Florida home. “You’ve got to,” he said. “I spent 45 years in Vero Beach but it’s over with now. You have to turn the page.”

Torre was more forward-focused as he cited the short distance betweeen the facilities in the Cactus League and the opportunity to spend less time travelling and more time on the field.

Cheers to The Canadian Press for doing a story on the forgotten Dodgertown – a piece that was really sobering particularly given the tough economic climate in this country.

Not only did 100 people lose their jobs when the Dodgers switched locations, but a small town that had relied on baseball tourism as a revenue source is feeling the pinch. There’s no revenue coming in from baseball-related activities and the county estimates it is paying $102,000 per month to keep up the facility. “Keeping up” is a relative term, however, as the description by the Canadian Press so vividly shows:

The heart-shaped lake, which late owner Walter O’Malley had constructed so he could “see his heart” when he flew over, is filled with algae. The Dodgertown golf course, originally constructed in part for black players who were barred from playing in town, has been closed for years. Its grass is brown and patchy. The 11 mph speed limit now means nothing, because no cars drive through the padlocked fences.

The town is so intertwined with Dodger baseball that the local elementary school is named Dodgertown. Johnathan Broxton was on the cover of the phone book in Vero Beach last year. More startling, the county and city are saddled with paying off the majority of a $17 million bond that was approved in 2001 to upgrade facilities and ensure the Dodgers stayed in Vero Beach. In a cruel twist of fate, roughly 1/2 of the bond is designed to be paid off with tourist and sales taxes – two sources that have dried up considerably once the Dodgers left town.

I’m all for supporting Camelback Ranch and the future of the Dodgers (I live in Scottsdale and will get to see lots of spring training games now) but turning a blind eye to the history (and questions about the future) of Dodgertown just doesn’t feel right to me. Here’s hoping Vero Beach and Dodgertown get a new life and a new name soon.

“I definitely would be very surprised if he’s not a Dodger,” Torre said.

Of course, Torre says he has no inside information on the topic – could he be a pawn in the current contract negotiations here or is he just mouthing off?

Ramirez is seeking a contract of at least four years. Torre said Ramirez reiterated his desire for a long-term contract in a phone conversation with him Tuesday.

In previous posts we’ve rationalized the myriad of reasons that this signing is great for the Dodgers, but allow me to summarize:

- Another lefty for the starting rotation

- A mentor for the young pitching staff

-  A guy with the potential to eat up a lot of innings (in 2008 he had 33 starts and  190+ innings)

Personally I hope Ned goes out and signs another starter (ala Pedro), but I think that’s just wishful thinking given the handful of tomato cans he’s signed to minor league deals over the past few weeks.

Time to focus on the relief pitching…

Plus, it would be a nice homecoming with Pedro coming homw to finish his career at Dodger Stadium.

This all assuming that the guy has enough gas in the tank to be effective.  When agents make comments like “He feels the best he’s ever felt” I get a little nervous.  Still the World Baseball Classic will be a great exhibition for Pedro and who knows, maybe we’ll see him pitch here in LA in the semis or the finals.

What do you think?  Should Ned sign Pedro Martinez?  The longer the negotiations take with Wolf and Looper, the more I’m leaning towards yes (with a one year deal, of course).