Under the Radar

I feel like we gotta move someone, but who? And to where?

Having said that, Scutaro is actually a fairly comparable player, except one with better defense + power.  In 04 he hit for average, in 05 he took some walks.  He may well consolidate soon.  I've always liked him and think he's on the verge of a breakout of sorts in 06, that is if he gets the chance.    

AVE - 0.299
OBP - 0.380
SLG - 0.518
OPS - 0.898

That is sick line for a middle-infielder.  He will be a great super sub at SS, 2B, and 3B (allowing Chavy some DH ABs).  Great great pick up.

But:

"Is there any question why Billy Beane has been pursuing him for some time now, if the published reports are correct?"

what published reports?

...you know what i mean...

From watching, he appeared to be an excellent defender with a plus arm. He looked pretty good at the dish against the G's as well; if he hits like he did against the G's and more in line with his AAA numbers, a SLUG between .425-.450 isn't out of the question--and remember, he's ONLY 25.

Billy Beane has always seemed to go out of his way to help members of the team, players coached, and administration, to move to the next level in their careers, or a better place, even when it was a loss for the team.  [see, i.e. Rick Peterson closer to home, Tim Hudson  and Mark Mulder on their home town teams, Paul DePodesta given permission to interview with LA, etc].  In fact, that may not be Beane's influence but ownership.  Still, I highly suspect that Paul DePodesta is looking for another oppurtunity, although there are those that would argue it would be his first, to run a MLB team. I would imagine that he would not enjoy the thought of potential employers assuming that he had used his position of confidence with his prior employer, after termination, to injure that team.  

Furthermore, Beane has made great trades witout inside information.  He gave up talent, and he got talent, and i think we can leave it at that.

But I have been wrong before.  

Health?  That may be an issue.  

Getting along with the media?  That also may be an issue (mostly because those fucking leeches are just waiting for a blow upso they can get their big front page story).  

But "attitude?"  I posted a quote from Bradley in another diary yesterday (courtesy of the LA Times) that I think captures Bradley's attitude perfectly:  "I have to win.  I can't lose.  I'm unhappy when I lose.  It's probably why the situation in L.A. got to me the way it did.  The greatest time I had was the playoff season.  Everything was working.  I didn't mess up any clubhouse.  I came in and added to the clubhouse.  I helped make the team a playoff team.  I took a backseat to [Steve] Finley in center field.  I bled Dodger blue.  I did everything in my power.  I played my knee off for the Dodgers.  I did everything I could."  

Gee, he sounds like a real sour puss to me.  I hate having guys on my team that NEED to win.  Ha!!  You have it all wrong.  The reason that Milton has occasional blowups is that he can't stand losing.  That sounds great to me, and a nice contrast from the laissez-faire attitude of Eric Chavez...  

You know who has a similar attitude to Milton:  Miguel Tejada.  Miguel was a similar type player, he couldn't stand losing (as is evidence by his recent tantrum in Baltimore).  If Bradley made a trade demand in Baltimore, the press would be all over him like flies on shit.  But because it was Miguel, the press doesn't say a thing.  I think there's a reasonable argument to be made that the only reason Miguel's never had an "outburst" before is that he's NEVER PLAYED ON A LOSING TEAM.  Now that he's on a losing team he's frustrated.  

Same with Bradley, as long as we're winning, Bradley will be fine.  So, if you think that Miguel had "attitude" problems, then you can be down on Bradley.  But, if you think that Miguel's attitude problems are just a result of Baltimore's shitty ass team, then maybe you'll want to give Milton the benefit of the doubt until he actually has a "blowup."  

Fans always use the excuse: Hey, they're professional athletes, they should have think skin.  

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.  Bacause baseball players happen to be gifted at a sport that allows them to make a lot of money, they should be immune to having racist comments hurled at them all game long.  

Let's revise that sentence:  Hey, they're __, they should have thick skin.  Replace the ___, with "doctors," "lawyers," "postal workers," "tech support employees," "record store clerks," "homeless people."  

YOU COULD PUT ANY OCCUPATION IN THAT SENTENCE AND THE ARGUMENT IS JUST AS STRONG.  In other words, there is absolutely no reason in the world why a baseball player's skin should be any thicker than any other person's skin.  

If someone cames into my office and said: "Hey __, you dirty garlic-smelling spaghetti bending wop -- I slept with your mom last night, your wife is a whore, you're ugly and you suck at your job..." I would jump out of my chair and punch them in the face.  Is there any reason why Milton Bradley, Ron Artest, etc. aren't entitled to do the same thing?  I don't think so.  

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm tired of ill-mannered fans getting a free pass.  

I'm a Dodger fan. Came over hoping to find a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth over losing Ethier; oh well. Perez put up decent numbers, and looked good doing it, at the plate, but his defense looked awful. Granted, he was playing 3B for the first time, but it was pretty ugly at 2B, too. FWIW, one of the guys at Dodger Thoughts (remember Steve?) started calling him Darth Offerman (after Jose Offerman, who holds the LA Dodger's single season record for errors recorded).

Also, he took a pitch off the face, in the Carribean league a couple weeks ago, so he could start off the year injured.

Anyway, good luck next year. A lot of us are going to be pulling pretty hard for Bradley to finally get it together.

It is all about Crosby and Harden. Two young men with the heart and dash to be young World Series Team winners.

Don't forget that it is all about "leaders" standing up to be addressed.

In early 2005, Perez virtually was guaranteed of having four AB a night for the Dodgers if he only was willing to try 3B.     He said he didn't want to play there, and only after a hamstring injury sent him to the minors on a rehab assignment did he reconsider playing there.   What player would turn down the chance to start every day?  

Perez is a good contact hitter who will take a lot of pitches, but he is NO super-sub.  His glove is poor, and he likely would not have made the Dodgers' team out of spring training.

That being said, good luck to your team. May they beat the Angels. Their bandwagoning fans are annoying.