Unfortunately for Dodger fans, the new contract isn't rumored to include a clause demanding that Andruw Jones also return to the team where his career began (not that Curacao's Finest isn't already thinking about his next move).  It is, however, rumored to be three years with a fourth year vesting option.  Depending on what cash is changing hands, I can understand if the Dodgers didn't feel comfortable matching -- much less topping -- this offer. 

As mentioned on many occasions, I really admire Furcal as a player, leader and person.  And while his health wouldn't change a thing about the latter characteristic, after the last two seasons spent largely hobbled and seemingly uncomfortable as a rah-rah guy at 65%, it's hard not to worry about his health affecting everything else.  There may not be loads of truly "better" options than Furcal, but there are likely safer ones.  And as much as it would suck to watch the 31-year-old Furcal suddenly rip it up in Hotlanta like a dude in his mid-20s, you can't blame the Dodgers for being gun-shy over pulling a possible "Schmidt, Part Deux."   

Of course, that means finding an alternative option either at short or enough additional options that a hole at short (Chin-lung Hu? Angel Berroa? Ivan DeJesus? Derek Lowe, if he's willing to learn a new role and stay in L.A., neither of which appears likely?) doesn't matter as much.  Work them phones, Ned!

AK

Times being lean, baseball brass is eschewing aeroplane travel to ride home on the ... wait for it ... blue line.  But a voyage in the tube on wheels allows for longer, more detailed conversations about the madness wrapped up in Las Vegas.  There's the decision whether or not to tender an offer to Takashi Saito.  From there, discussions may revolve around shortstop Rafael Furcal, a player-team relationship with mutual interest in another go-around.  Unfortunately, the interest in commitment of contract is anything but mutual, meaning outside-the-box thinking could be required to discover common ground. 

Just 24-ish hours ago, Dodger fans conjured visions of a new lefty ace when Team Sabathia expressed interest in playing at the Ravine, despite the pitcher receiving a six-year/$140-mil deal from the evil empire (sometimes known as the Yankees).  But alas, that dream scenario fizzled rather quickly upon news of Sabathia agreeing to don the pin stripes, and with an extra year and 20 mil tossed in to sweeten the pot. 

Kinda makes you wonder if the "So Cal desire" was more ploy than sincere, considering the Dodgers could never offer anything near to what SportsCenter deemed the biggest pitcher contract in MLB history (particularly not if deals for A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe may still come).  Meanwhile, Steinbrenner Inc. burns cheddar just for the fun of it.  Plus, both sides were apparently content to take their time.

I'm just sayin '...

It was the "Hey, I want to play for you guys" heard around the world.  Or more specifically, heard around Vegas.  Or even more specifically, it was the second-hand interest heard around Vegas, as Ned Colletti clarified upon watching the rumor mill kick into overdrive.  But the meat of the matter remains the same:  Lefty ace CC Sabathia is more than a little interested in donning Dodger blue next season.  A player of his caliber obviously merits consideration, handing yet another ball to a front office already juggling at a rate that would even raise this cat's eyebrows.

With the chances and particulars of resigning Raffy Furcal up in the air, calls are reportedly being made to Texas about the availability of Michael Young.  But given that Colletti shot down "automatic deal breaker" talk in regard to Raffy's desire for a contract over two years, it's not shocking to hear the GM intimate that Sabathia could be an exception to the team's "scurred of long-term deal" mood.  That outlook makes sense, considering the Cali native's track record, attitude and inclination to give back.

OTHER NOTES:

• Anyone hoping for K-Rod migrating crosstown will be very disappointed.
• Ron Santo is calling for an overhaul of the HOF voting process.
• The paper housing this blog may have just filed for bankruptcy, but Sam Zell made it clear that the mutually owned Chicago Cubs aren't part of the paperwork.
• Guess the Yanks do occasionally run out of money.

Few people realize that was the original chorus of Gwen Stefani's mega-hit.  But poor test results during some early listening parties led the No Doubt songstress back into the studio, where she made a little tweak involving "holla" and the rest is history.  But the Dodgers are hoping to have better luck with the "Camelback" name, as it's part of the moniker for the new spring training facility in Arizona.   

Who will actually be swinging revamped maple bats for the Dodgers come spring time?  Well, that's still something of an undecided matter.  But considering the bad national economy may not be reflected in the free-agency deals coming down the pike, should the Dodgers want to act upon Joe Torre's interest in keeping Raffy Furcal around, it could involve a pretty penny.  And a long-term commitment.  Despite a bum back that kept Furcal on the shelf for most of 2008, his agent insists there are bidders in the pipeline, one of whom will inevitably give his client a few years worth of loyalty in exchange for services.   

Negotiations aren't off, the Dodgers haven't walked away from the table ... but that two-year, $45-million deal extended by the Blue to Manny Ramirez (and by extension, Scott Boras) is no more, withdrawn by L.A., writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick:

"We still have an interest in him," general manager Ned Colletti said. "This doesn't mean we won't continue discussions. They just can't accept that offer flat-out. It's like any other free-agent negotiation now. We'll have conversations and sometimes you're able to sign the player and sometimes you're not.

"Our exclusivity ended yesterday and now they'll have a chance to hear what other clubs are willing to pay and for how long."

Scott Boras, Ramirez's agent, said Colletti was "very upfront" with the decision to withdraw the offer but declined to comment on specifics of Ramirez's free agency.

Colletti said this sort of development is neither unusual nor problematic, but given the high-profile nature of the FA in question and the challenges inherent in negotiations with his agent, all news seems important.

BK

The end might have been inevitable anyway, but the final moments of a very strange 2008 season, filled will all sorts of inconsistency and frustration but also the franchise's first playoff series victory in 20 years, were hardly pretty.  Behind a red hot, series MVP Cole Hamels, Philadelphia took advantage of another bad start from Chad Billinsgley and some poor Dodgers defense for a 5-1 win in Game 5 Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium .  The better team better prepared for the magnitude of the moment will move on to the World Series while the stunned Blue will pack up the gear and look forward to Spring Training.  It wasn't the game LA wanted to play- They didn't generate much off the Philly ace, and what they could scrounge up offensively was generally wasted.    

A week ago, things seemed so promising.  Now, it's on to an uncertain future.  We know General Manager Ned Colletti will return, but the roster he'll assemble is anyone's guess.  A trio of veterans have almost surely played their last games in Los Angeles.  Rafael Furcal would like to come back, and there's interest in making it happen.  Outside the organization, Jake Peavy is willing to relocate north should the Padres decide to blow it up. 

Brad Penny's option doesn't seem likely to be picked up.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Join us for Purple, Gold, and Blue at 11 am.  Guests will be Kevin Baxter of the LAT, and John Gonzalez of Philadelphia Inquirer.  Click the show widget on the side of the page, or go straight to the chat board by clicking here.

Having seen their golden opportunity to knot up the NLCS disappear Monday night, all that's left for the Dodgers, down 3-1 to Philadelphia, is to win three straight, starting tonight at the Ravine, when Chad Billingsley looks for a spot of redemption against Philadelphia's ace lefty Cole Hamels.  While the Dodgers face a steep uphill climb, teams have done what they'll need to do to reach the World Series.  It has happened before. The best way to make it happen again?  Don't think about the World Series.  Don't think about anything but Game 5, actually. 

Speaking of which, given all the ruckus that surrounded his failed outing in Game 2, Billingsley is definitely in need of some redemption tonight at the Ravine.  It's not just LA's season at stake, but some wonder if another bad outing could leave Bills with labels he'd rather not carry.  It may not just be Philadelphia watching to see how aggressively he pitches.

By now, you know what happened, and we understand if you feel dirty.  The Dodgers were two innings away from knotting the NLCS at two with a win over the Phillies in Game 4.  Instead, they left the building down 3-1 after a shocking 7-5 loss Monday night at the Ravine.  The bullpen was shaky all night in relief of Derek Lowe, who was removed after five innings pitching on short rest, but the big blows came in the eighth, when Shane Victorino and Matt Stairs each hit two run homers over the wall in right, erasing 5-3 Dodgers lead.  Now, after taking a day off today, the Dodgers face an elimination game Wednesday night at the Ravine. 

As we wrote in the postgame, beyond the gut wrenching, grab-your-still-beating-heart-from-your-chest nature of the defeat, it's the kind that gnaws at the brain.  Yes, Philadelphia clearly had the big hits and made other big plays, from Chase Utley's grab of a would be RBI single in the sixth, turning it into an unassisted, inning ending DP to Victorino's smooth work on James Loney's first inning double off the wall in center that kept Manny from scoring a second early run.  But that's not where people will focus around the water cooler (assuming they could make it to work).  Instead, there will be questions.  Why was Lowe lifted?  Why was Kershaw inserted?  What about Hong-Chih Kuo, did he have to come out after allowing a single in the eighth?  Should Cory Wade have come in? 

In short, let the second guessing begin.  With that in mind...

The "six" marks a pivotal inning during last night's 3-2 NLCS kick off loss to the Phillies.  And "sick," as in, "made Dodger fans feel ill" (as opposed to "sick" the kids say these days when they're talking about something impressive).  Those same blue stomachs, however, were actually feeling giddy early on, and that "good butterflies" status didn't even take long to achieve.  Andre Ethier hit a first inning double, then barely had a moment to take in the second base environment before Manny Ramirez sent him home with a double that just happened to knick the one "hitters unfriendly" section of Citizens Bank Park.  Another few inches up (or simply a different stadium) and you're looking at a long ball.  But still, the sequence put the Dodgers on the board from the jump and a fourth inning sac fly from Blake DeWitt (who was a wizard in the field to boot) doubled that tally.  Still, CBP is a haven for batsmen, meaning concerns about a pair of runs being enough couldn't help but surface (especially with Cole Hamels firmly in "kill" mode). 

Turns out the nervous Nellies weren't just blowing off neurotic steam.