In part one of our interview with Ned Colletti, the Dodger GM discussed the team's surplus of young talent, the difficulties involved with pulling off trades, and the rising salaries of today's player.  In the discussion's second half, Colletti critiques his first season piloting the Blue, the thought process behind allowing Joe Beimel's return and the most recent round of Hall of Fame voting. 

Andrew Kamenetzky: Obviously, the postseason didn't play out the way you'd have preferred.  I remember talking with you after the final game and hearing you express that displeasure.  How long did it take to get the taste of a sweep out of your mouth?  Has it happened yet?  Is that even possible?

Ned Colletti:  Well, in one way, you have to do it immediately, which is what we did.  We met the next morning, at 10 o'clock in the morning that Sunday to get started on the '07 season.  But I don't think you ever forget that.  I think it lives with you and I think it becomes part of your personal culture, almost.  In 1984, I was with the Cubs and it was the best of five, NLCS.  They had a 2-0 lead over San Diego and lost three in a row, including blowing a 3-0 lead in the 6th inning in the fifth and deciding game.  I still haven't gotten over that, in a way.  I was with the 2002 Giants that had a 3-2 game lead in the World Series and leading Game 6 in Anaheim.  We lost that.  I don't think you ever totally get away from that and forget about it.  I think it helps prepare you for the future and your thought process continue to develop, so you never take anything for granted.  Every game's important and every pitch can change a season.  I think it makes your vision and your approach keener.  You can't let it affect everything.  But you can't forget it, either.  You have to put it in the right compartment in your own heart.

At least when it comes to making World Series sleeper picks for 2007, that is. How hard they're actually rooting for the Blue is questionable, as they have a well established love for all things Yanks-Sawx. Even as a guy grateful to receive monthly checks from a company that has been very good to me, I still have to admit that tunnel vision gets old. But hey, L.A. is a big market, so that's gotta be somewhat appealing. And bottom line, they bothered to look at the left-hand side of the country for a day, so take the bone. The Dodgers will have their chance to justify the Entertainment Sports Programming Network's online props starting April 2 against Milwaukee.

What do y'all think? Do the Dodgers have what it takes to snag a crown? Yeah, they haven't (as of yet) brought in that power bat many people have been clamoring for like a crackhead jonesing for his pipe. But they managed to put up many a run without a bona fide slugging machine in last year's lineup. New blood Juan Pierre and Gonzo can help create more of those runs, if not necessarily via the long ball. Jason Schmidt is a legit ace for a rotation that could become legitimately tough if Rady Wolf can return to form after some health issues. They brought back Nomar. They brought back Sammy. They brought back Ramon Martinez. Is that enough to vault them over the likes of St. Louis, Detroit or either New York squad (among others)? 

AK

Never say never, but the Dodgers would probably just settle for a quality bat off the bench in new roster hopeful Fernando Tatis.  And no matter if the guy makes us forget Valenzuela ever had a first name or ends up playing in Sin City, dude's still a record holder.

Also, think of the fun to be had if Olmedo Saenz pinch hits for this hurler.

AK

Oh wait...  Elbert.

Either way, some happy news for Scott. And Roger Ebert, I suppose, if the film critic both follows baseball and thinks Blue.

AK

Technically speaking, we're in the midst of Major League Baseball's off-season. But for Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and his staff, the time since St. Louis won the World Series (subtle, eh?) has been anything but a vacation, whether retaining the services of Nomar Garciaparra and Takashi Saito or  bringing in new blood like Randy Wolf, Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez.  Whether or not the roster tinkering is more or less finished remains to be seen, but it's clear that Colletti is determined to continue the momentum from  last season's strong turnaround.  We talked to Colletti over the phone about subjects ranging from the young players representing the Blue future to the current state of the game. Part one of the interview follows.

Brian Kamenetzky: Looking at the change between last year when you first took over a team in the off-season where you didn't have as much time to acclimate yourself and now going into this season, what have been the biggest differences in terms of your job as GM?

Ned Colletti: Well, the calender was a big difference. Instead of starting around Thanksgiving, we were able to really start when the season ended. Secondly, my familiarity with the front office and the scouts and the players was altogether different. I knew everybody, rather than a year ago where some of the people, I knew to say hello, but didn't know their work ethic, their work style, how they went about what they did, their talents. I came into this off-season really knowing who everybody was.

Before last season, the Dodgers brought in Garciaparra, a player with a history of success and an injury history long enough to make an actuary cringe. That worked out. Hong-Chih Kuo has had what, 11 elbow surgeries? He's looking good. So why not take a flier on Chin-Hui Tsao, the former Colorado phenom who has blown up about every important part of a pitcher's body? 

BK

'Cause I'm game, considering the potential for substantial financial gain.  Not that blogging isn't treating me well (thanks, as always, to our L.A. Times overlords), but I'm still a few tax brackets away from Mark Hendrickson, and I'm interested in moving up.  I could live on the three mil the lanky lefty will get next season.  And if the Dodgers get the Ken Ravizza version of Hendrickson, they can live with three mil, too.  Given the price of pitching these days (sobering thought coming here, just to warn you), it's not all that bad an investment for the Blue.  But if Congress doesn't soon pass a law mandating that all parents who don't force their kids to throw lefthanded be brought up on child abuse charges, I'm calling my representative. 

In other news, Grady Little's homespun dugout interviews will be a fixture for at least a couple more seasons, it seems.  This move I like.   Little has the perfect temperament to handle the mix of young and old players the Dodgers will field this season, and the potentially younger group in upcoming years.  He may not be the strongest in-game manager baseball has to offer, but he's not the worst, either, by any stretch.  On the flip side, he's a strong manager of people and players.  Over a 162 game season, that's big. 

BK

Peter Gammons breaks down the NL West in today's edition of his ESPN Insider Blog.  Given that two seasons ago the division champ won 82 games (with the runner up notching an anemic 77), subjecting the lot to well deserved derision and ridicule, there really wasn't anywhere to go but up.  Last year, the Dodgers and Padres won 88 games, while the Diamondbacks were playing well until hitting (splattering against, really) the wall late.  Most important, every team won at least 76 games.  Outside the AL West, no division had better "bad teams."  And because two of those squads, Colorado and Arizona, skewed seriously young, and a third (our very own Blue) was youth injected, things bode well for this season.  It's possible that four teams in the division could be over .500.  I leave out the geriatric Giants, because they haven't done much to get better.  Zito for Schmidt is a lateral move, and if Bonds doesn't come back big and bad, they're in major trouble. 

Not surprising, Gammons points to pitching and youth as the major strengths of the division, and an explanation of its improvement.   

Because the Dodgers have a new deal with his name written all over it. 

In other news, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com breaks down the corner infield situation.

AK

And J.D. Drew is still not a Red Sox. 

BK

Is it really, as Tom Petty would say, the hardest part?  And I don't mean that rhetorically.  I'm literally asking y'all, since I haven't experienced a blue concession stand or parking lot line in quite some time.  Are both still a hassle? 

It's funny how I spend so much time on Elysian Park Ave. during the season, but remain in a complete bubble when it comes to this topic.  The way media access works, I gotta hit the Ravine so early, I could watch "Roots" in its entirety and still catch the opening pitch.  Locker rooms open three and a half hours before the game begins.  From there, you have two hours and forty-five minutes to talk with Grady Little, chat with players, flag down Ned Colletti, etc.  In an ideal world, you'd get there about 90 minutes before game time, rack some copy, take a few notes, file a pre-game report and grab a little din-din.  In-N-Out like a burger.

Had Steve Henson's mailbag gone to press a bit later, I'm sure today's news would have made the cut.  For the second time in a week or so, it looks like another marquee name is heading to the NL West.  Or in this case, returning.  The Diamondbacks and Yankees have agreed on a deal that would bring Randy Johnson back to Arizona, and likely keep him there through 2008, when he will be approximately 73 years old.  The Snakes are giving up a reliever and some prospects, none of whom are top shelf types (as far as I can tell), so it basically costs them a pile of money.  The question is, will it matter?   On the one hand, Johnson is a 43 year old, coming off his worst season on the field and back surgery off it.  He started 33 games but threw only 205 innings, struck out "only" 170 and sported a robust 5.00 ERA.  As a means of comparison, he went for 245 in 35 starts in '04, fanning 290 with a 2.60 ERA. 

I'll be honest with you, I remember Steve Garvey more from his days as a Padre, particularly the '84 playoffs when the world got to watch the Cubs fold like an accordion.  Good times. So maybe I'm not the best guy to evaluate his Hall of Fame candidacy... but if it's not me, someone needs to get on it PDQ, because this year represents his 15th and final opportunity to be voted into Cooperstown by baseball writers.  Based on previous results, it looks bleak- Garvey has never received more than 42% of the 75% needed for enshrinement- but should it?  Take a look at his career profile.  Dude could rake, and he could pick it at first as well.  No doubt, he has lost some points because of a personal life that was, um, how should I put this... controversial (Garvey wrote the Shawn Kemp handbook before Shawn Kemp).  Then again, if we closed off our Halls to athletes who played around a little (or a lot), they'd be damn near empty. 

With guys on the edge, as I believe Garvey is, it comes down to a gut feeling.  Is this guy an HOFer?  Or a HOVGer?  That's "Hall of Very Good-er."  In my mind, he's an HOVGer, but then again, I didn't see him as much as many of you.  So does Garvey belong, or not?

BK