tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26690188.post5088337859691279640..comments2024-03-22T16:47:02.257-07:00Comments on Dodgers Blue Heaven: Lack of "Grit" and "Compete Level" has been an Issue for a Long Timeernesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16702907938750062750noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26690188.post-29049032008541299082013-05-23T21:26:00.609-07:002013-05-23T21:26:00.609-07:00I agree that the current nucleus is a group of tal...I agree that the current nucleus is a group of talented guys that are not exactly gritty. As you point out, we've known that since '08 at the latest. Kemp, Kershaw, Ethier, Billingsley, Loney and Martin were kind of pampered. Of that group, only Kershaw has much grit.<br /><br />To me, the answer isn't to trade the talent or rip them for being what they aren't. It is to surround the talent with guys who have the qualities they lack. There are plenty of guys with fire and intangibles available every year.Once they had Hanley Ramirez in the fold, the Dodgers didn't need another big bat. They needed infield defense and a guys that would get hit by pitches and hit a sac fly and dive into the stands for a pop up. Instead, they got three more pampered "names" with "veteran experience".<br /><br />Same thing on the pitching side. With Kershaw and Greinke, you have starting pitching. The key to a long season is the unglamorous bullpen guys. The long relievers and the lefty specialists and set-up man are what make the starts of the 3,4 and men in the rotation consistently winnable. Instead, we have the ringleader of the worst modern Red Sox clubhouse. Dean H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17923782800713104454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26690188.post-73566459681649757542013-05-23T13:36:56.269-07:002013-05-23T13:36:56.269-07:00Point taken. Perennial contender is a poor way to...Point taken. Perennial contender is a poor way to describe those teams. <br /><br />And you're probably correct in say that the McCourt/Colletti years have been disastrous. <br /><br />I just think that both Kent and Bowa were on to something. Maybe the lack of a cogent plan has lead to what we are experiencing today.ernesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16702907938750062750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26690188.post-15113409759435126272013-05-23T13:19:44.775-07:002013-05-23T13:19:44.775-07:00Could not disagree more.
The '08 and '09...Could not disagree more.<br /> <br />The '08 and '09 Dodgers were good teams, but they were hardly "perennial contenders". It was the middle of four year span that featured two LCS teams and two fourth place teams. Jeff Kent was only involved in one of the play-off teams and didn't distinguish himself. Bowa didn't exactly cover himself in glory as a Manager, although he was fun to have around as a Coach.<br /><br />Neither guy is going to wear a Dodger hat in the HOF.<br /><br />The last time the Dodgers were truly perennial contenders was '94-'97. That is a four year span with (essentially) three play-off teams and a near miss. The Manager was llife-long Tommy Lasorda and the leaders were products of the Dodger system: Piazza, Karros, Ramon Martinez. <br /><br />In other words, there are no short-cuts to perennial contender status. The team needs smart management, a plan and the willingness to stick with it. The last time the Dodgers were near that path was immediately prior to the McCourt sale with Dan Evans, Logan White, Kim Ng and Jim Tracey running things. No amount of chest beating by Mattingly is going to fix the stupid, short-term decisions of the McCourt-Colletti years. Dean H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17923782800713104454noreply@blogger.com