Reflection time
With extras on Saturday, no BP scheduled for Sunday and a final day that matters only to the Vegas crowd, there isn't much by way of big stories to report. There will be plenty of time to start with the postmortems on the '07 season -- something we'll kick off this week -- but for the Blue the process began today. Or at least the process of talking about it. Grady Little, Ned Colletti and Frank McCourt all met with the media before the game. It's the same group that will lead the Dodgers into next season (McCourt confirmed that both Little and Colletti will return in '08) and will be entrusted to figure out what went wrong this year, and more important, to channel their inner handymen and fix it.
The big theme of the day? Disappointment. Good to know they agree with the fans on this one.
"I think we were inconsistent in many ways from beginning to end. It's tough to survive the season like that on the field. Early in the year we pitched very well and struggled to produce runs. In the middle of the year, the pitching staggered a bit, but were a little better offensively, though we still struggled from time to time," Colletti said. "We'd get to nine or 10 games over .500, then we'd slip back. We'd get back up to nine or 10 or 11 games, and we'd slip back. I kept waiting for us to get to 13 or 14 games over, then win five in a row and put some distance between us (and the division)."
That about sums it up. Even when things were good, it wasn't the sort of good where a squad rips off those big stretches that win a division. Things just went sour, from the mix of players in the locker room to the results on the field. And responsibility, all three emphasized, falls on everyone who had a part, from the manager to the GM to the owner to the players.
We'll have a lot more from today as the week goes on, including audio and quote pulls.
The big work starts about 4:30 this afternoon when the book is officially closed on the '07 season, and like all but eight teams in baseball, the Dodgers wait until next year.
LINEUPS
DODGERS:
Juan Pierre- CF
Wilson Valdez- 2B
Matt Kemp- RF
James Loney- 1B
Russell Martin- C
Andy LaRoche- 3B
Andre Ethier- LF
Chin-Lung Hu- SS
Eric Stults- P
GIANTS:
Rajai Davis- CF
Kevin Frandsen- 2B
Randy Winn- LF
Pedro Feliz- 3B
Daniel Ortmeier- 1B
Nate Schierholtz- RF
Guillermo Rodriguez- C
Omar Vizquel- SS
Barry Zito- P
-- BK
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about grady getting fired:
apparently its on the talk radio circuit. go to dodgerblues fan forums and the link is there. take it as it is.
ha tomko screwed the padres! their about to lose again! go bomko!
Posted by: the WOLF | September 30, 2007 at 01:38 PM
Reflection time? At least the Dodgers spared us the angst. We could be Met fans.
Posted by: Chunkdog32 | September 30, 2007 at 02:35 PM
Ya I think im back to wanting to have a new Dodger Manager
HE HAS HAD WAY TO MANY RIDICULOUS LINEUPS.......AND NED COLLETI DEFENDS HIM..........AND McCourt..............Well im not even sure if McCourt knows about the lineups Grady the moron Little has put out
Posted by: Aryan | September 30, 2007 at 02:39 PM
I have to admit, I'm rooting for the Rockies to take it all in the NL. They are the hottest team right now. Even hotter than the Phillies.
And don't let BK fool you. The Padres would be in the wildcard right now if they started Peavy. Peavy will be a waste tomorrow with the hottest team in baseball. He had a much better chance against the Brewers.
BK, let's hypothesize for just a moment. Let's suppose, the NBA has the same structure as the MLB and let's also suppose you can only use Kobe for one game for whatever reason, I don't care. Will you put him in the last game of the season against a lesser team, or a POSSIBLE one-game playoff with a much harder matchup? C'mon, play with this a minute. And don't shoot my analogy down by saying you can't compare the two, bc I realize that. I just would want to know what you would do given that scenario.
Posted by: DODGER FREAK | September 30, 2007 at 03:44 PM
AK/BK
According to your newpaper McCourt will bring back Little and Colletti next year just as you have predicted.
Do you think that McCourt will have both on a short leash or are they a lock for the entire 2008 season?? By short leash, I mean will a .500 record as the season progresses be acceptable?? Will Little and Ned blame losing on the kids or will he be accountable?? I am trying to figure out what new interests I may have.
Hey Rob
What is your take???
Posted by: Package | September 30, 2007 at 05:13 PM
Grady and Correctol-etti back?
They've lost me. Good bye all.
Posted by: jim | September 30, 2007 at 05:35 PM
Someone on another thread suggested the Dodgers might be shopping Pierre. I don't see why. He's not everyone's cup of tea but he gave the Blue exactly what they expected when signing him. Here is what I see as the primary trade bait:
LaRoche-Not convinced he can hit at this level.
Young-No place to play him.
Abreu-Just to get rid of a Boras client.
Hendrickson, Houlton, Stults-Would maybe bring a case of balls.
Kemp-But only if you can land a star.
DO NOT TRADE KERSHAW UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
Signing A-Rod could solve many of the other problems. I'm probably in the minority but if we can get Wolf to come back cheaply, I'm for it.
Posted by: uclart47 | September 30, 2007 at 10:53 PM