Biz of Baseball: Most Baseball Fans Prepare to Give Manny Ramirez a Nice Big Kiss Upon Return

“Thick wavy hair, a little too long”.. From Shadow Morton to shadow Manny!

In a further sign of interest in the game, Fox’s Prime Ticket will add an extra right-field camera for the event. The RSN will also have a special road edition of the “Dodgers Live” pregame and postgame show to cover Manny’s return. No word on whether Manny will do to the Western Metal Building what he did to the inside of Green Monster scoreboard, but if so, cameras will be at the ready from every angle.

It all is the circus that is Manny being Manny, and you can bet your dreadlock wig that the Dodgers will be the beneficiary of the return at the cash registers, regardless of whether he comes back in mid-season form.

For MLB, it means moving past a potentially embarrassing moment, or rather, a moment that was embarrassing, but had a player with incredible barstool likeability at its center. Baseball surely must be signing in relief knowing that Ramirez won’t be in the All-Star Game, unless Charlie Manuel selects him, a long shot to say the least.

L.A. Times: When it comes to Manny, what would Nietzsche do?

What, you didn’t know Socrates was a baseball junkie?

You thought Plato and Nietzsche were so above it all they didn’t have a favorite National League team?

Yeah, stupid me, I had no idea either.

But this week I paid a visit to my local house of all things psychic: Tattered Glove Palm Reading of Chavez Ravine.

With Manny Ramirez back Friday, L.A. is now confronted with a bulked-up existential question: How should we view those who have cheated the system by using banned substances? What should we think of those who appear willing to do anything to win? How do we forgive?

Searching for answers, I convened an emergency meeting with the spirits of some of the prime shapers of Western thought.

It actually wasn’t hard to get this group together; it’s a little-known fact they have been meeting regularly to philosophize on baseball since the White Sox World Series scandal of 1919.

First up? Socrates (Manny-applicable quote: “An honest man is always a child.").

What, I asked, do we make of this Ramirez mess?

“Well, let me say it is good, my friend, that you’re asking questions. That’s what I’m all about: pondering. The most important question is this: What, exactly, is cheating?”

Just my luck. I go looking for absolutes, all I get is doubt.

Jason Stark: It’s so wrong to celebrate Manny’s return

So instead, the reaction to Manny, from Albuquerque to Ensenada, has been—what else?—downright hero worship. You’d think the guy had spent the past 57 days curing cancer, dousing tensions in Iran and smoothing out plot glitches for the final season of “Lost.”

But why? That’s the question we’ve been struggling with since Manny-mania busted out in Albuquerque last week.

Why is America so ready to forgive this guy, of all guys? Because he has fun hair? Because he has a lovable smile? Because he has a long, not necessarily proud, history as baseball’s foremost goofball?

Why would that be enough to outweigh his disgraceful exit from Boston, his indisputable guilt in this case and the dubious alibi his spin doctors typed up to explain his way out of this mess?

Why? We posed that question to four men who have thought about it a lot themselves: esteemed Columbia School of Journalism professor Sandy Padwe, cerebral journalist/author Robert Lipsyte and two of the most thoughtful players we have ever covered, Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt and a man who has turned into an official New York Times op-ed columnist, Doug Glanville.

L.A. Times: Dodger fans should ‘Think Boo’

Or you can just think back to all those buzzer-beaters by Greg Harvey and get around this nonsense.

I’ve never asked Dodger fans for a favor before, but I have one request now:  When that first home game comes on July 16, for one night, one at-bat or at least one swing, boo Manny. I’m not asking you to burn your coveted Man-wig, hide the name on the back of your No. 99 T-shirt under duct tape or torture yourself by watching Angels games. All I ask is that if you attend Manny’s first home game, you boo. Once, at least.

...Dodgers fans should boo Manny for one at-bat to make sure he knows his actions were unacceptable. The obvious reasons are often floated about when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs: it might spurn younger kids to use steroids, it’s selfish, and it is disrespectful to the game.

Those arguments and their counters are uttered almost daily. The main reason Dodger fans should boo, however, is to let Manny know they will not be had with a few home runs and a smile. They need to say to Manny, “We’re the ones who pay to watch you, and we demand better.” What does it say about fans if out of the gate they embrace a blatant cheater?  Doesn’t it tell him, “Hey, you have free rein to do whatever you want, as long as you put runs on the board”?

...I’m not asking Dodger fans to hate him for the rest of his career. All I’m asking is that, for the good of the game and team, for one night Dodger fans should “Think Boo.”

Diamond Notes: Ned Colletti talks sabermetrics on XTRA Sports 1360 AM in San Diego:

“I think the sabrmetrics gets you interested. I think it gives you a chance to seek more information on somebody. But I’d have a hard time trading for a player or drafting a player that I really didn’t know what was inside his head and inside his heart and how he thought and how his priorities were set up and if he aspired for greatness and was willing to sacrifice. I’m not sure you’re going to get that off a stat sheet. But the numbers do tell part of the story. I think you have to have a mixture of all. Information is power, and as much information as you can get - whether it’s a number on a page or whether it’s a conversation with somebody - I think it adds to your decision-making process and helps you make better calls.”

L.A. Times: Manny Ramirez and the gray areas of Dodger blue

Similarly, the Dodgers made the business decision to pay Ramirez more than his cleaner-cut teammates. And Manny, having made the business decision to avoid scrutinizing his medicine intake, delivered more results. Life is full of accommodations.

We expect athletes, particularly those wearing the Dodgers uniform, to act as role models. But Manny didn’t get into baseball to make parents like him. A few youths may imitate his mistake, just as they’ll copy gangsters, corporate thieves and slimy politicians. The majority, though, will emulate his batting psychology and charity work; the medical matter won’t endanger their fragile souls.

Ramirez’s sin wasn’t a rare aberration among athletes, here or elsewhere. Yes, we should monitor drugs and scan the horizon for the next shortcut to prowess. But let’s conserve our dwindling reserves of outrage for deadlier infractions.

Bruce Jenkins Blog: Hypocrites

Show me an announcer that’s not a hypocrite and I’ll show you a Ganglians recording session without a theremin-equipped sandbox.

Part of the fun of Manny Ramirez’ return to the Dodgers, scheduled for Friday night, will be the exposure of Charley Steiner as a hypocrite. Michael Kay was the first to go down, and Charley’s next.

...It seems this didn’t go over too well in other cities. Kay, who anchors the Yankees’ telecasts, ripped Krukow and Kuiper in a public forum for getting so excited over a steroid guy. Steiner, part of the Dodgers’ radio team, made some equally rude comments (off the air), establishing himself as a real high-and-mighty beacon of integrity.

Except it doesn’t work that way. Alex Rodriguez opened the season in disgrace after the steroid-related embarrassment of spring training, but that didn’t stop Kay from going nuts when A-Rod slugged his first home run. Presto—instant hypocrite! Now we get to hear Steiner when Manny rocks Dodger Stadium for the first time. What, he’s going to treat it like a funeral while the place is going crazy?

I’ve known Kay since his days as a Yankee beat writer in New York, and he’s a good guy. So is Steiner, who livened up many an ESPN “SportsCenter” before he joined the Dodgers. Ripping the Giants’ broadcasting team, to say the least, was not their finest hour.

S.I.: Freedman: With Manny coming back, red-hot Pierre forced to grin and bear it

“Stats are stats” handle going once, twice…

But if you’ve got a beating heart and any modicum of pride in what you do for a living, it’s hard to believe that Pierre is not at all perturbed that he’s heading back to the dugout despite putting up fantastic numbers in Ramirez’s absence. Pierre declined numerous requests to comment for this story, and tries to deflect as much attention from himself as he can in interviews with beat writers. But ask his best friend, Los Angeles Angels third baseman Chone Figgins, and it isn’t hard to read through the lines.

“I do feel badly for him because he’s my best friend and he’s not getting to play [regularly],” said Figgins, who came up with Pierre in the Colorado Rockies farm system. “But we’ve seen what happened with the Manny Ramirez situation and the fact that he did do something that was illegal. In retrospect, [the Dodgers] should see that a player that hasn’t done things like that is putting up numbers that are natural. It should be shown that we deserve more respect than what we get.”

..."Now he’s a so-called bench player, which isn’t accurate,” said Figgins. “Bench players don’t get a five-year contract or get 200 hits over the last couple years, [only] behind Ichiro [Suzuki]. Stats are stats.”

True Blue L.A.: Dodgers June In Review: Riding Out The June Swoon

Favorite Game of the Month:  In the span of one week, the Dodgers had three comeback wins in games they had no business winning (against the Diamonbacks, then the Phillies twice), and of course there was the Ethier three-dinger game, but my favorite game of June came on the penultimate day of the month.  The Dodgers trailed the Rockies 2-0, but scored the tying runs by a two-RBI single by pitcher Randy Wolf, after he induced a balk by trying to call time.  Then, the Dodgers used all seven members of their bullpen to pitch one inning apiece before Andre Ethier—who else?—ended the game with yet another walk-off home run.

Celebrity_jeopardy_connery_mediumThe Pen Is Mightier:  The Dodger bullpen was lights out in June, allowing only a 2.31 ERA and 1.018 WHIP.  Only three members of pen had an ERA above 2.16 for the month—two were optioned to the minors (Cory Wade, Travis Schlichting), and the other was closer Jonathan Broxton, who still struck out 21 batters versus 11 baserunners in his 11.2 innings.

Empty Bench:  Not counting the six games in which a bench player started at designated hitter, the eight active Dodger regulars in June started 195 of 211 possible games, or 92.4% of the time.  Perhaps that is a good thing, since the Dodger bench only hit .190/.257/.230, with six runs, five RBI, and six walks for the entire month.

Amazing Stat of the Month:  Russell Martin did finally hit his first home run of the season in June, but he managed to go through June without driving in another Dodger, in all of 94 plate appearances.  He has just the one RBI in his last 115 PA, since Memorial Day.

Memories of Kevin Malone: Guillermo Mota’s new self real or fake?

Mota’s current ERA (4.36) and WHIP (1.39) are very similar to the numbers he has posted in the past 4 years. Furthermore, his FIP of 4.54 is nearly identical to his past 2 seasons. So while Mota was never as bad as he was at the start of the season, he’s certainly not as a good he has recently shown either.

When I went looking for signs of improvement, I found it hard to find legitimate reasons. Mota’s release points have been consistent throughout the year, his fastball was thrown harder at the beginning of the year, and his slider was sharper before the resurgence as well. However, I did find a more legitimate and quantifiable reason for his improvement: a plummeting Leverage Index. In other words, he’s being used in situations that hardly affect the outcome of the game at all.

Last year with the Brewers, Mota’s Leverage Index was 1.33, this year it’s a mere 0.70, which is in the bottom 20 of all qualified relievers in the majors. If a quick peek at the Leverage Index play log isn’t enough to convince you that this matters, then consider that his OPS against in low leverage situations (.679) is almost half of what it is in high leverage situations (1.211), so it’s pretty obvious that Mota has benefited from the unimportant situations he has been thrown into.

True Blue L.A.: Rockies Come To Town Smelling Blood

We have to go back 36 years to find a Dodger team that didn’t convert a lead this big into winning the division or league.  A seven-game lead is a big deal.  While the Dodgers may not be as good as 48-28, I’m going out on a limb to say the Rockies aren’t as good as 20-3 or 22-7 (their record under Jim Tracy) either.  And the Giants?  Not with that offense.

Also, I don’t know if you have heard this or not, but the Dodgers are adding a fairly significant hitter to their lineup at the end of this week, which should only bode well going forward.  As much as I would like to bill this series with the Rockies as some huge clash between two teams vying for the division title, that’s simply not the case.  Sure, the Rockies (or Giants) could end up winning the wild card, and Baseball Prospectus has the Dodgers’ chances of winning the division at “only” 89.4%, but for all intents and purposes…

THE NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST HAS ALREADY BEEN DECIDED.  THE RACE IS OVER.

Memories of Kevin Malone: Kershaw’s personal catcher

The same trend holds true for every pitcher in the starting rotation except one: Clayton Kershaw. While he has been solid with Martin behind the dish (.693), Kershaw has been almost untouchable throwing to Ausmus (.379). In fact, he is yet to give up a run with Ausmus as his receiver.

Granted, this entire post has sample size problems, but it’s something worth considering. Besides, it seems like Martin could use the rest.

foxsports.com: Tigers taking it slowly with Porcello

Porcello has attributes that will buy him extra outs, in accordance with those guidelines: He has a fluid delivery, and his power sinker induces well-timed double plays, as happened twice on Wednesday.

“He’s not a max-effort guy,” Leyland said. “That makes a big difference. But I’m going to watch him.”

It’s not known if Porcello’s representatives made any suggestions to the team about his innings limit. The Scott Boras Corp. negotiated his $7 million major-league contract following the 2007 draft, but Porcello has since changed agents. He’s now represented by the Houston-based firm of Randy and Alan Hendricks.

Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw may be the most relevant comparison for Porcello among recent 20-year-old pitchers. Kershaw threw 122 innings as a minor leaguer in 2007, followed by an increase to 169 in the regular season last year, of which 107 2/3 were in the big leagues. He added two in the playoffs.

Kershaw did not arrive at that total by accident. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Wednesday that team officials determined a 50-inning increase would be acceptable.

“But the best criteria are what you see and how those innings are accumulated,” Colletti added. “Had he accumulated more ‘stress innings,’ his total would have been less.”

Former A’s and Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson believes that annual increases of 30 innings are optimal for developing pitchers. A bump of 40 innings or more, he said, could cause concern.

But when Peterson was told that Porcello exceeded 90 pitches only three times entering Wednesday, he replied, “That’s very wise of them. You can tell that they’re being very cognizant of his workload. They’re doing the best they can.”

L.A. Times: Once a future star, Darren Dreifort is left with scars

This probably will come as no surprise to anyone who closely followed the star-crossed professional career of the former Dodgers right-hander. A seemingly can’t-miss prospect, he wound up spending as much time rehabbing injuries as he did dueling batters during 11 major league seasons.

A hip procedure last Wednesday in Beverly Hills was his 22nd surgery—his 20th since he left Wichita State after being the second player taken in the 1993 amateur draft behind only a slugging high school shortstop from Miami named Alex Rodriguez.

A dark cloud has followed Dreifort, 37, into retirement. He has endured eight surgeries since his last game Aug. 16, 2004, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury at a time when he already was scheduled for three other postseason operations.

Divorced, he lives in Pacific Palisades after moving from La Canada to be nearer his three young sons, ages 7, 5 and 3, who live most of the week with their mother in Santa Monica.

Life hasn’t played out as he’d hoped—or major league scouts envisioned—but Dreifort says he’s OK with it.

“I’ve been able to do what I wanted to do,” he says over coffee during an interview at a Starbucks near his home. “I wanted to play major league baseball and I wanted to raise my kids. I wish I could raise my kids full time, but that’s the way it goes.”

A call from the College Baseball Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class of honorees in 2006, caught Dreifort by surprise.

Among nine others being enshrined this week are former World Series star Joe Carter, who preceded Dreifort at Wichita State, and former Mississippi State slugger Rafael Palmeiro.

Q&A: Estes ‘not retired,’ still wants to play in bigs

Estes didn’t retire...he was geezernapped by the diabolical Colletti Gang!

If you’re not retired, how did it get reported that you were?

A: “They had to put me on some sort of list and they chose the retirement list. It was, obviously, my decision not to pitch in Triple-A anymore but I’m not retired, not suspended, not hurt.”

Even after the season started, you didn’t think it might get to this point?

A: “The relationship I had with the (Dodgers) general manager, Ned Colletti, was one that I thought I could, with my history with him from the Giants, that if I wasn’t called up by a certain point and if I felt I was throwing well I could call him and get my release. Basically, ‘Give me an opportunity to go pitch somewhere else in the big leagues.’ When I attempted to get my release, it was denied. He was not going to let me walk; he wanted something in return for me. If I signed somewhere else and pitched well for another team, it might make him look bad. He’s got people he’s got to answer to. But I kind of felt that the right thing to do, at this point in my career—I’m 36 years old and have done everything the Dodgers have asked me to do from spring training on—wasn’t to hold me hostage in a situation like this. With that said, he gave us the opportunity to go out and talk to other teams and see if there’s a trade that can be worked out. That’s where we’re at right now. ... This is the first time I’ve been in this situation and you learn a lot of things about people. You kind of live and learn. We screwed up by not getting the out in our contract. I didn’t realize how important that was going to be. And you can’t put a whole lot of stock in personal relationships. It is a big business, but you just hope that sometimes general managers or coaches or managers or owners, that they look at the humane side of things. But it doesn’t seem to work that way very often anymore. Is there a chance if I did get released that there wouldn’t be another club out there that had interest in me? Yeah, that’s a possibility. But I’ve seen a lot of teams looking for pitching, and I can’t imagine I wouldn’t get a better opportunity with another club.”

So what is the next step for you?

A: “All of the other 29 teams have received an e-mail as to my situation, which is I’m not pitching in Triple-A anymore. I’ve thrown my last pitch in Triple-A. If they have a need for me, then they need to speak with Ned Colletti and seek a trade. Ned said he wouldn’t ask for anything substantial. ... Being in this position does not allow me the best opportunity to get another job this year, just because teams aren’t going to be as willing to trade as they would be if I was just free on the market right now. I’m kind of in handcuffs right now, at the mercy of Ned Colletti and the Dodgers.”

Bill Plaschke: SoCal really lets Manny have it . . . with love

We arrived in hilly Riverside County on a scorching Saturday afternoon, the fertility drug fatale and I, same game, different missions.

Manny Ramirez was here to play for the Class-A Inland Empire 66ers on his first phony rehab assignment in Southern California.

I was here to find a Dodgers fan brave enough to boo him.

Surely it would happen, right?

Surely, somebody will hold him accountable for a 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy?

Surely somebody would let him know that, because he has yet to offer any true remorse or explanation since his May 7 suspension, somebody was going to publicly wonder why?

He had appeared in two games at triple-A Albuquerque, where he was showered with love, but folks down there rarely see a celebrity that didn’t come out of a UFO, so they can be excused.

Dodgers fans are tougher, right?

Ramirez was going to be, um, needled, right?

Dodgers.com: Brooklyn Dodgers fan’s dream comes true

McCourt arranged for Pierre, 71, to fly out from New York on Friday on JetBlue so that he could take in a game at Dodger Stadium, as well as go on a special tour on Saturday with his fellow commentators on the Inside the Dodgers blog.

“It’s like a dream,” Pierre said during his tour. “It’s nice of him to do this. I don’t know how to explain this. I can never thank him enough. I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life.”

Pierre’s dream-come-true of visiting the stadium he’d seen on television so many times really started last October when one of the regular commentators on the Inside the Dodgers blog asked Dodgers vice president of communications, Josh Rawitch, who also runs the blog, if he could arrange a special stadium tour for the regulars on the site.

“I threw it out there not thinking it would ever happen,” said Mike Corrigan, who posts as “perumike.” “I just thought it would be cool to get a tour and see a game.”

“It’s great to see someone as happy as he is right now,” McCourt said. “He’s a lifelong Dodger fan, and he’s never been here before, and he said it’s like a dream come true. He got a behind-the-scenes tour and he’s watching the game and he said he’s living his dream. It’s a great statement. It’s his team. This is what it’s all about. He’s one of a legion of fans that are emotional stakeholders in the franchise and you can feel their emotion.”

Monson was impressed by McCourt offering to fly out Pierre and pay for him to stay at the Hilton Glendale for two nights as well.

“It was generous and respectful of McCourt to offer to do this,” Monson said. “This was a very class move and something he didn’t have to do.”

T.J. Simers:  Nothing corny about Casey Blake’s Dodgers stint

I was telling Manny Ramirez the other day I was going to do a nice story on the Dodgers’ best mid-season acquisition a year ago, Manny laughing because he knew I was talking about Casey Blake.

In so many ways, as Manny would agree, there’s no argument.

But it’s such a difficult column to compose, almost nothing negative to say about Blake, so obviously I don’t know where to begin.

He looks like the double for the Most Interesting Man in the World, but he’s from Iowa, the world one big cornfield as far as he’s concerned.

That’s right, he’s a hick, “a wild night in L.A. so far,” he says, “the drive home after the game,” Blake making the hay-wagon jump from Indianola, Iowa, to Hollywood, released by three teams along the way, but batting cleanup now for the team with the best record in baseball.

“If you give me a minute I can tell you how many stoplights are in Indianola,” he says, while staring off into the distance and counting out loud, “one, two, three, four, five, six.

“Every one of them is always green,” he says, while also proud to boast they have a Wal-Mart and a movie theater, the Paramount.

L.A. Times:  Dodgers’ Ronald Belisario arrested early Saturday

Officers stopped Belisario at 2:27 a.m. on Fair Oaks Avenue south of Colorado Boulevard after observing him talking on his cellphone, according to CHP officer Francisco Villalobos. Officers then observed symptoms of possible alcohol intoxication and placed Belisario under arrest.

Belisario said he was coming home from dinner when he was pulled over and dismissed the incident as “nothing.”

“I was driving to my apartment, talking on the telephone and they stopped me,” Belisario said in Spanish. “Then they gave me the alcohol test and it was normal. They gave me a paper, said everything was normal. . . . Everything’s fine.”

Belisario did not specify what kind of sobriety test was administered and Villalobos said he did not have that information. General Manager Ned Colletti said he was unaware of the arrest.

Hopefully, its turns into nothing. Because Belisario has a reputation as a knucklehead, the Dodgers told him he has less leeway than other people on the team.

S.I.: Pearlman: A-Rod, Manny Ramirez great with steroids, but what about now?

“Could it be that without drugs players like A-Rod, Manny aren’t that good?”

Again, I know. I know. Blasphemy! But the question must be addressed: Why is it that, when PED-implicated ballplayers return from lengthy absences, we never ask whether their non-drugged selves will live up to past greatness? If, as was suggested by Selena Roberts in her recent biography, A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, Rodriguez used performance-enhancing drugs during his Yankee tenure, shouldn’t his presumed newfound, post-steroid cleanliness coincide with a dropoff? After all, performance enhancers enhance performance. They make you stronger, faster, quicker. They help you work out more, bounce back in a shorter time span.

In Los Angeles, the Dodgers anxiously await the July 3 return of Manny Ramirez, who was suspended 50 games for failing a drug test. After initially protesting his guilt, Ramirez slunk off into the abyss—a guilty man hoping that, with time, all things pass. Now, all things have passed. Yet instead of wondering whether Manny will return as Jim Rice or Jim Bolger, the Dodgers assume they will be getting the same masher who averaged 36 homers and 118 RBIs over his first 14 full seasons. Manager Joe Torre, whose continued naiveté/indifference over steroids staggers the mind, has repeatedly expressed his excitement over Ramirez’s reappearance in the Dodgers outfield, where he clearly expects nothing less than an All-Star-quality slugger.

But why? At 37, Ramirez has reached the chronological threshold, where the majority of legends find themselves either mimicking Buddy Biancalana or filming “Hi! I’m Danny Tartabull! You might remember me from ...” commercials for Biff Jones Toyota. At 37, Dale Murphy was batting .143 with no home runs in 26 games with the Rockies. Duke Snider was batting .210 with four homers and 17 RBIs for the San Francisco Giants. Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Roger Maris were retired.

And at age 37 Del Rice hit no home runs!

L.A. Times: Dodgers’ Andre Ethier has a giant night

Ethier hit his 12th, 13th and 14th homers and drove in a career-high six runs, becoming the first Dodger to hit three homers in a game since Hee-Seop Choi on June 12, 2005.

Ethier was mobbed by teammates in the dugout and took a curtain call after his third homer, a towering solo blast to right field against reliever Miguel Batista in the eighth inning.

“It’s definitely something I never dreamed about before, one of those unlikely things,” said Ethier, who had never accomplished the feat at any level.

He hit a three-run homer against Seattle starter Jason Vargas (3-3) in the second inning and added a two-run shot against Roy Corcoran in the sixth. He grounded into a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth.

Clayton Kershaw pitched six strong innings to help the Dodgers set a modern franchise record by going 74 games into a season without losing three straight.

“There’s no question if you go the rest of the year without losing three in a row, you’ll be in good shape,” Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said.

But the only team in the major leagues to avoid three straight defeats has a long way to go to catch the 2001 Mariners, who set the modern-era record by not losing three straight before their 147th, 148th and 149th games.

Over the line, Smokey!: Kershaw watch, part 2

Koufax as of 10/15/57, age 21y 9mo, Kershaw as of 6/26/09, age 21y 3mo.

Koufax IP 205.2 W 09 L 10 H 182 ER 91 K 182 BB 108
KershawIP 190.1 W 10 L 10 H 171 ER 85 K 183 BB 99

Koufax ERA=3.99, WHIP=1.41, K/9 innings=8.0
KershawERA=4.01, WHIP=1.42, K/9 innings=8.7

If you don’t think that’s spooky, you’re not paying attention.

In other Dodgers news, Cory Wade was optioned to Triple-A to allow Eric Milton to start on Sat.

True Blue L.A.: Will Rafael Furcal Ever Steal Bases Again?

This season, Furcal has four steals in 65 games.  The same as Andre Ethier.  Fewer than James Loney, Russell Martin, and Orlando Hudson.  Furcal has been caught four times too, so his success rate is the worst among all Dodger regulars.  Even Casey Blake (two for three) has been better in this regard!

I understand the stolen base attempt isn’t always the wisest choice, given how precious outs are, but I find them aesthetically pleasing.  The stolen base is a huge part of Furcal’s game, and as of now it is essentially absent.  I miss the old Furcal (or, perhaps I miss the “young” Furcal).  If asked to choose the priority of Furcal improvements, I would choose for Raffy to start hitting better, but the wheels have been missed too.

Maybe if we notice an increase in Furcal stolen bases, it is a sign of returned health and could lead to a turnaround at the plate.  Maybe its a chicken/egg thing, but either way, I’m ready for Furcal to be a speed demon once again.

SF Chronicle/Shea: Barry who? Rockies’ Tracy finds success

Does a manager make that much of a difference?

Seems to be the case with the Rockies, who last month replaced Clint Hurdle with bench coach Jim Tracy and then began winning like it’s 2007. Tracy, remembered in the Bay Area as the guy who ran the Dodgers early in the 2000s, finally has a managing gig in which he’s not haunted by Barry Bonds.

...

Tracy’s previous two stops were Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, and excuse him if he wondered what it would be like to have his mind clear of Bonds.

Tracy’s first four years managing the Dodgers, Bonds won MVP awards. Tracy’s fear of the Giants’ left fielder seemed to grow annually - as did Bonds’ numbers against the Dodgers - peaking in 2004, when Tracy hardly pitched to the man.

Barry was just a hunka hunka burnin’ love…

Dave Cameron: Juan Pierre Is Not Hot

And it’s true, Pierre’s performed admirably well - his .327/.384/.424 line while playing quality defense in left field adds up +1.5 WAR in 240 plate appearances, or about a +3.75 win pace over a full season. If he played that well all the time, he’d actually be worth his contract.

But, of course, Pierre doesn’t play that well with any kind of consistency. And he hasn’t sustained that kind of pace this year, either. Here’s his 2009 season, broken into two chunks.

April 8 - May 28: 133 PA, .407/.470/.542
May 29 - June 24: 107 PA, .232/.276/.283

The first half of Pierre’s season, he hit like a Hall of Fame candidate. In addition to his usual batch of singles, he had 13 extra base hits and drew more walks (12) than strikeouts (10). It was a tremendous stretch of hitting for anyone, much less a guy with a checkered track record like Pierre.

The more recent chunk, however, is more what we’re used to seeing from the guy. No power, few walks (just four, compared with 10 strikeouts), and the ball has stopped finding holes. For the last month, he’s been a sinkhole, making outs in bunches and doing little to nothing to help the Dodgers win.

T.J Simers: They’re crying foul over apologist for Manny Ramirez

“Your idolatry of Manny is ludicrous,” is the way Shirin Patel put it in an e-mail, rewriting an earlier headline in The Times, but hey, if Manny needs me to be his mule so he can keep going like he did a year ago, I’m here for him.

“Let me understand your warped logic,” writes Dan Howard. “It’s OK to be a cheating drug user if you are charismatic, talented and interesting like Manny.”

It also helps to hit home runs.

“Now I get it,” e-mails Jack Tracy. “Persecute Gary Matthews, but kiss Manny’s [behind].”

It’s such a satisfying feeling when people finally get it.

I like someone, I’m far more forgiving. I don’t, and I’m going to treat them like Kobe.

I know what Dodgers games were like before Manny arrived, and I wouldn’t wish that on any paying customer or someone obligated by employment to attend.

The Dodgers are not only relevant again, but a show worth watching. Of course, Times beat reporter Dylan Hernandez thinks “Sponge Bob” is a show worth watching, sitting in the Isotopes press box before the game, hanging on Bob’s every word.

Ken Rosenthal: Lee may cost too much for Dodgers

The only way the Indians will trade Lee, sources say, is if they are offered a potential top-of-the-rotation starter at the level of the Braves’ Tommy Hanson or Red Sox’s Clay Buchholz.

Such a pitcher would be the centerpiece of the Indians’ multiplayer demand. And unless ownership orders a reduction in payroll, the Indians will not going to budge.

Lee, the 2008 American League Cy Young award winner, remains part of the Indians’ plans not just for this season but also next year. The team, which lacks a suitable replacement, can retain him by exercising his $8 million club option.

The Dodgers engaged in serious talks with the Indians last summer for left-hander CC Sabathia and third baseman Casey Blake, then obtained Blake for minor-league catcher Carlos Santana and pitcher Jon Meloan.

They do not match up as well for Lee.

The Dodgers’ best young starting pitchers, right-hander Chad Billingsley and lefty Clayton Kershaw, are part of the major-league rotation and all but untouchable. Their best pitching prospect, right-hander James McDonald, is not considered top-of-the-rotation material.

Thus, a package of say McDonald, third baseman Blake DeWitt and one or two other prospects would not be enough to satisfy the Indians. The Phillies have also asked about Lee, but balked at the price, sources say.

Teams will continue to covet Lee, who is 4-4 with a 2.20 ERA in his last 13 starts. The best guess is that he will not be traded, but the market currently is devoid of starting pitchers who are difference-makers.

In the end, the Indians might get what they want.

Sports Justice: Manny will get a hero’s welcome back, and the world just gets sicker

Won’t someone think of the Skids?

It’s a sick world, isn’t it? I mean, when you get down to it, it’s absolutely sick. Manny Ramirez is about to return to the Dodgers, and he’ll be getting a hero’s welcome back from the fans at Dodger Stadium.

His minor league assignment is creating the kind of buzz the Beatles once generated on their American tours. Now if I ask you if you care about steroids, you will tell me you sure do.

You will tell me you want the cheats banned for life and that these people — owners, players, union leaders — have ruined the game forever. You’ll say this, but you’re lying. You care more about baseball than you did before steroids. Don’t believe me? Check out the attendance totals and revenues and every other measuring stick of interest. This is baseball’s golden age.

... Remember how all those blowhards said it was about the kids? It was never, ever about the kids. If it had been about the kids, there would have been legislation generated punishing distributors, making it tougher for boys and girls to get their hands on the drugs.

Not one piece of legislation came out of those hearings. Not one Congressman raised a hand to do something for the kids.

L.A. Times: T.J. Simers: Even he can’t stay mad at Manny

ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez reports Tuesday afternoon that Ramirez orders pasta. She does not follow him inside even though that’s why she’s here, because she needs to go to the empty stadium to do a report for ESPN.

“I didn’t see him order pasta,” she says later in explaining her exclusive, “but I feel comfortable with my sources.”

Dodgers’ PR guy Josh Rawitch cannot confirm Ramirez ordered pasta, “because I wasn’t there.” That doesn’t seem to matter to Dominguez.

The Times’ Dylan Hernandez appears disappointed, all his life wanting to come to Albuquerque and bang on the batting cage while Manny’s inside trying to hit a ball off a tee. Manny can hit a 94-mph fastball in front of 50,000 screaming fans, but for some reason Hernandez unnerves him while facing a tee.

A nation awaits more breaking Manny news, Dominguez confirming “it was spaghetti.” She also spots him carrying “six bottles of water.” Nothing gets by her.

ESPN News has plans to go live each time Manny bats, Manny explaining before the game, “people love me everywhere.”

Hard to argue, or for that matter feign Gary Matthews’ Jr.-like outrage, Manny more charismatic, more talented and more interesting than Matthews.

But this is L.A. Manny, a different guy from the one everyone talked about in Boston, L.A. Manny listening to some advice offered by Mota and then stepping forward to say, “Let’s go—let’s talk. What do you want to know?”

Bleacher Report:  Hot Commodity: Los Angeles Dodgers Interested in Jarrod Washburn

Washburn’s stats are misleading (26-48 4.23 ERA), as he has something like the second lowest run support out of all AL pitchers in his tenure with the Mariners, something interested teams know.

Since the Mariners are not in a desperate situation (i.e. 30 games out and forced to sell for the future), and could either be buyers or sellers this season, it will drive the price for their players up. No matter what they decide to do, they are going to get top line young talent, or established MLB ready players.

With a confident, competent GM in Jack Zdurencik who has already shown his savvy in trades by grabbing guys like David Aardsma, Jason Vargas, Garret Olson, and Franklin Guiterrez, Mariners’ fans should feel good about what goes on at this years trade deadline. It has been a refreshing change from the Bavasi era when all of the best trade chips were given away on a silver platter. I know every trade deadline of late felt like a kick to the nuts for Mariners fans.

Name one Bavasi era trade import who is currently making any impact for the Mariners. That’s funny, because there are not any.

In regards to Washburn, a three prospect package containing two high rated prospects, and a mid to low level, is what can be expected. I would expect them to be looking for a SS with the lackadaisical Yuniesky Betancourt drawing the ire of many Mariners fans. I know I am not the only one wishing those Jack Wilson trade rumors had not fallen through.

A report from the Seattle Times had Dodgers OF Juan Pierre as a possible match for Washburn. Just what the Mariners need, another OF who cannot hit for power.

With JZ at the helm, just let this thing play itself out and the result should be positive Mariners fans.

Man, Bleacher Report is always good for a laugh.