And if you don't wanna take my word for it, just ask Fox Sports, a professional, reputable source for sports information. And for the Dodgers, the highest flame is situated under the pot full of Manny Stew.

On a side note: I don't even know what 'Manny stew" is, but if Homer Simpson were reading this post, even if also didn't know what it is, he'd immediately think, "Mmmmm! Something!". 

I think most of us would agree with the Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness take that one Manuel Aristedes Ramirez was the King of all Dodger left fielders, putting up numbers guaranteed to generate a costly bidding war for his free agent services.  How much money?  The kind that every team in baseball can't just pony up, no questions asked.  Are the Dodgers among the team with deep enough pockets like a certain east coast squad?  If you ask the frequently quoted "one general manager," it's no given.  After all, we are talking about the third ranked free agent of this season, according to SI's Ben Reiter.  Folks like that don't play for pennies, especially when their agent has never seen a piece of currency lower than the ultra-rare two million dollar bill.

For what it's worth, Manny ain't the only Dodger to crack Reiter's top 50.  Others cited include Derek Lowe (#6 and in the opinion of Reiter, Boston bound), Raffy Furcal (#7 and considered a resign option), Casey Blake (#21 to Reiter, a B- to MSTI and a 2009 Indian in the mind of both) and Joe Beimel (#23 and back in L.A.).  Interestingly enough, CC Sabathia is ranked #1 overall.  Okay, that's not considered "interesting" so much as "arguably expected," but the team Reiter cites as the lefty's best fit might be.  Your Los Angeles Dodgers.  Which brings me to the question of the day.

Manny or CC.  Assuming whatever deal you consider fair and realistic can be had, but you can only get one of these guys, who you taking?  Assuming I get to call the contract shots, I'd take Manny, because I think even with Lowe and Brad Penny's defections imminent (in my mind, if nothing else), the Dodgers still need considerably more help with the sticks than the arms.  Plus, his presence makes my gig as a Dodger blogger 100 times easier.  But I could understand an argument otherwise.  Either way, I want to hear yours.

AK

Thursday marked the first day of free agency, and all we know about the whole Manny Situation (Surely you're familiar with The Manny Situation?) is that Manny Ramirez is, in fact, a free agent.  He filed today, along with many of LA's other free agents.  The New York Post reports that the Blue have offered Manny two years for $60 mil... Dylan Hernandez of the LAT reports Ned Colletti and Scott Boras haven't actually spoken (Colletti has, however, engaged in "preliminary discussions" with the agents for Rafael Furcal and Casey Blake).

My take?  I seriously doubt anything is on the table already.  The short year/money heavy deal mentioned by the Post makes sense for the Dodgers and is a reasonable place to start.  But either way, don't look for this to be a quick process, no matter where Manny lands.  There will be rumors and innuendo, most of which won't be true.

But isn't that what makes the hot stove fun?

In other news, on the odd chance you've been waiting to make a decision on Prop. 8 because you were unclear on where Jeff Kent stood on the issue, you're officially good to go. 

BK

Simply put, do you care anymore?

After the debacle that has lowlighted by bad umping, awful ratings, surly Philly citizens, rain, Bud Selig sitting on his hands during said rain, and the naked truth "revealed" (if it weren't already known) about TV's power over baseball, we arrive at "Game 5: Part Deux."  5.5 innings burned, anywhere from 3-3.5 to go in putting to bed what's shaping up to be the most awkward and anti-climactic potential clincher in sports history.  Which brings me back to my original question.

Do you care anymore? 

Will the generally good play itself (this series' only saving grace) and your innate baseball fanship keep you engaged in seeing how this bad boy (emphasis on "bad") concludes?  Or have you finally thrown up your hands in disgust and decided to devote this evening to watching "Britian's Youngest Grannies" (which, I'm embarrassed to admit, sounds oddly intriguing)?

-AK

So I'm watching Game 5 of the World Series, and unless my relatively new HD flatscreen is just that clear, it's freakin' pouring.  No regular season game would take place under these conditions.  I realize the postseason in any sport is a slave to scheduling and television, but that should never outweigh the fair execution of a game. 

After 162 games of regular season play and a pressure cooker playoff drive, should baseball's world championship really be decided in a driving rain?

BK

UPDATE (7:45):  Rain delay.  I can stop yelling at my TV now.  On a related note, is Carlos Pena officially Bud Selig's new bestie?

Who needs a real Cy Young or MVP when you can get one from us?

Joe Torre's coaching staff will return intact next season.  Every last one of 'em.  Click below for the release from Dodgers PR...

BK

BK already passed judgment on the position players.  Now it's my turn to criticize athletes pulling off feats I couldn't accomplish in my wildest dreams.  Okay, not exactly.  The part about me not being a good pitcher is true (for those who care, I was actually a pretty good catcher until knee and roster issues forced a disastrous switch to the outfield), but I didn't spend much time bagging on the hurlers.  And why would I, since arms provided the team's greatest strength over the course of 2008?  With few exceptions, nobody who took the hill on a regular basis did much to hurt the Blue.  Thus, the majority have report cards worthy of fridge space.  Or at least good enough to avoid winter school.  Not "summer" school, because baseball takes place in the summer.  Get it?  Get it?

I'll be here all week.  The 9:30 show is completely different from the 8:00.  Try the veal...

Derek Lowe: After a tough May, Lowe steadily continued a recent trend of getting better as the season progressed.   A 3.65 August ERA could have been in the 2's were it not for one wretched game against St. Louis and he was barely touched by a September bat.  Terrific in an NLDS series opener, the Philly followup wasn't quite as lights out, but give props for a gritty short rest Game 4 likely to be debated all offseason (I still think Joe Torre made the right call pulling him).  Even at 35, he appears firmly on Father Time's good side.  Unfortunately, word persists the free agent is set on moving east, which would be a blow for the Dodgers.  In part because they could use him, and in part because after spending his early time in Blue often coming off like a talented flake, Lowe, in my observations, matured into a considerably more accountable clubhouse leader.  Kinda sucks to see that transformation happen with one foot out the door.  Final grade: A

Scott Boras is talking about a six-year deal for Manny Ramirez, and if that's the case, Dodger fans will all be wearing different wigs next season. Five years is at least one more than the Blue would likely be willing to agree.  But as Jon Heyman of SI.com reports, the LA is open to very big money for short years: 

"The Dodgers appear willing to meet or come close to superstar free agent Manny Ramirez's annual salary target but are strongly disinclined from acceding to his wish for a deal of five or six years, people familiar with the club's thinking tell SI.com.

One person who's spoken to Dodgers people suggested that the team is considering proposing a contract that may come close to matching Alex Rodriguez's record $27.5-million average annual salary but on a much shorter term, perhaps only two years. That person hinted he could see the Dodgers even exceeding A-Rod's salary, as long as the length of the deal was to their liking."

Now, as Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts rightly points out, those graphs are filled with some serious hedges (in his words:  "...the qualifiers to that statement are deeper than the Grand Canyon..."), but the basic strategy -- assuming this is all true -- would fit neatly with how the Dodgers operate and represent a wise opening strategy for negotiations.  Show seriousness and respect by making the dollar figures almost historically large, show restraint by keeping the years shorter. 

It's still very early in the process, so don't get too wrapped up in early rumors. 

In other news, Assistant GM Kim Ng lost out on the head gig in the Mariners front office, as Seattle hired Brewers exec Jack Zduriencik to fill their empty GM slot. 

BK

Not from the team, but by a surgeon, let there be any confusion.  Today, Dodgers OF Delwyn Young will undergo surgery on his right elbow- an arthroscopic removal of a spur in the back of the elbow, plus a repositioning of the ulnar nerve.  Both have caused Young trouble when he throws.  He should be throwing in about six weeks, and is expected to be good to go for spring training. 

As you were.

BK

Report card day. When judgment is handed down from on high and pampered members of the athletic elite tremble in anticipation of scathing, potentially reputation-destroying evaluations from their online overlords. 

Okay, maybe not.  But we'll still deliver them anyway.  Today, position players.  For much of the year, the Blue struggled with injury and inconsistency, unable to score runs or generate excitement.  A great deal of energy, much to my consternation, was still centered on the "kids vs. vets" debate, a storyline that distracted from the team's fundamental problems and tended to gloss over the problems both camps faced.  Overall, the Dodgers got a solid amount of production from the group of players likely to be part of the core over the next few years, but it wasn't all moonpies and bubble gum. 

When it's all said and done, the grades reflect what most of us saw from the team, especially pre-Manny: Great potential mixed with frequent eye rolling. 

A couple housekeeping notes: