Manny Is Very, Very Happy To Be Here - Just Hopes He Can Help The Ballclub

It is Day Two of the Manny Era in Los Angeles and things are developing nicely.

He had his first homerun as a Dodger tonight, something that contributed to a big win over the first place Diamondbacks and earned him a curtain call from the fans.

Tickets are selling like crazy. They sold something like 11,000 tix for Friday's game between 1 PM Thursday when the trade was announced and 4 PM Friday. They also sold a few hundred season tickets - all for a player the Dodgers aren't even paying this season.

There's a definite buzz in the air that hasn't surrounded the Dodgers in a long, long while. When I went to lunch on Friday afternoon, ESPN was discussing the deal at length - for basically an entire show. I can't remember the last time that happened.

To drop the cherry on top, Manny apparently announced to the world that he's so happy in LA that he hopes to retire as a Dodger. Now, one can never tell if that's just "Manny being Manny" but on Day Two of the Manny Era, the fans seem like they would agree with him.

Of course, there's an odd man out at the moment named Andre Ethier who has spent two days on the bench despite playing so well this season. Here's hoping they can get Andruw Jones or Juan Pierre out of town on a waiver deal to clear the logjam a bit because Andre definitely deserves to be playing right now.

But for now, the Manny Era is in full effect and everything is sunshine and roses.

Check back later to see if it stays that way.

There's Magic In The Stars

Somehow the sun seems to be shining just a little brighter on this early August morning.

Oh, by the way, Dodger fans? Clear your calendars for October.

Deadline Watch: The Final Day

Just got my Internet connection back up this morning so I thought I'd dig through the MLB Trade Rumors and spit out some random commentary on what I see:

Couple Of Teams In On Dunn
I'm surprised it's taken this long. With Dunn, you get a powerful corner outfielder that are always in high demand. The problem is - he either strikes out, walks, or homers. But the power upside is so large, you would think people would be lining up to discuss him.

Giants Like Beltre
That's an interesting one. Apparently the Giants believe he'd thrive back in the NL West. It's hard to say as he bailed out after his one excellent season in the NL West. There were some rumors before the Blake deal that the Dodgers were looking at him. I never really expected that go anywhere though - apparently Beltre has the Dodgers on his "no trade" list. How's that for gratitude?

Rhodes To Marlins?
It amazes me how valuable aging relievers become this time of year. A team with a bushel of them that's not a contender could make out like a banshee right now.

Brian Roberts Not Available
Interesting. Perhaps my favorite rumor of this mid-season hot stove was the Dodgers looking at Roberts with the intent of making Kent a pinch hitter and occasional first baseman for the rest of the season before he either retires or moves on. I'm personally of the opinion that Kent is a big reason for the uncomfortable chemistry on our team and the Dodgers will take a big step up when he's gone.

Dunn Rumors
So, the D-Backs offered up Chad Tracy for Dunn. That had to be a tough one for the Reds to turn down. The Rays are apparently in as well.

Sox In On Street
The White Sox have thrown their name in the mix for Huston Street. It seems like almost every team in the league has been in on Street at some point over the past few weeks.

Maddux Watch
Talks have stalled between the Pads and the Dodgers over Maddux. Apparently, the Dodgers (thankfully) realized they have all the leverage in these negotiations and aren't giving in. There's speculation this may spill over into August for a waiver deal.

JUNIOR!
Ken Griffey Jr. dealt to the White Sox. Well, that makes the Dunn rumors make a lot of sense now as the Reds have moved into a rebuild mode. It's a shame that Junior didn't end up back in Seattle like he wanted though. He's always seemed like a real good guy so best of luck to him.

Manny To Florida?
Rumors persist on this three-way deal between the Marlins/Red Sox/Pirates. Does anyone actually believe that the Marlins would keep Manny? This is just like the Piazza deal all over again.

Deadline Watch

My mobile Google Reader showed a bit about the Dodgers having interest in Greg Maddux.

I support this deal if the price is right - and it should be considering how badly the Pads want to move him and LA is one of the only places he'll go.

At worst, you get an extra pitching coach for two months and I can think of far worse things than Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley hanging around a future HOFer for 60 days. At best, you add a solid starter to a rotation that has looked shaky as of late.
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Uh Oh

With Ned Coletti's job in jeopardy, many Dodgers fans have been holding their breath over the past few weeks as trade rumors swirled. There was a narrow aversion of disaster when Frank McCourt put the kibosh on a rumored CC Sabathia deal that would have lost Matt Kemp for the team - a deal I wouldn't find worth the cost.

But when Casey Blake was acquired this week for a relatively low cost, many Dodger fans breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this trade deadline would pass without any more frightening moments.

Hold on tight, Dodger fans.

From Jon Heyman at SI:

The Dodgers are one of a few teams showing interest in embattled superstar Manny Ramirez and are currently in discussions with the Red Sox, SI.com has learned.

However the talks are said to be in the very early stages, and there are numerous complications and hurdles to clear for a Dodgers deal to get done. People familiar with the talks say it is too early to gauge the chances for a trade.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, a Bostonian, is believed to love the idea of adding Ramirez to bolster the Dodgers' mediocre offense. However, McCourt, whose team has previously acquired or signed ex-Red Sox Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Lowe, Bill Mueller and manager Grady Little under his stewardship, has been telling Dodgers people he doesn't want to add payroll during this trading season, and has been openly complaining about disappointing attendance and revenues. Ramirez is making $20 million this year.

...

Dodgers players likely to interest the Red Sox would include young outfielders Matt Kemp and perhaps Andre Ethier. The Dodgers have a deep reservoir of young talent.

...

While Ramirez has announced that he badly wants out of Boston, it is believed he'd want an acquiring team to waive the $20-million team option for 2009 so he can become a free agent.

Lots of red flags there. First off, there is no chance I trade Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier in this deal - especially if Manny insists on that team option being waived. Even if he doesn't, Kemp's off-limits and Ethier is right there with him. If the Sox were willing to take one of the Dodgers' bad contracts back [either Jones, Schmidt, or Pierre] I'd consider putting Ethier in the deal very reluctantly.

This one really concerns me because we all know McCourt's weakness for BoSox players. I'd love to see Manny in Dodger Blue but only at the right price. If you can't keep him or get him on the cheap, let him become a free agent and revisit it then.

Life Imitates Art

Well, that was bizarre.

I was watching Ocean's 13 a little while ago and it had gotten to the part where they simulate the earthquake in the hotel to get everyone to leave. I got up from the couch to grab my lunch...

...and the room starts shaking. How fucking weird is that?

Looks like a 5.6 earthquake centered about 20 miles north of here.

It was a good-sized one. Shook for quite a while, made the apartment sway a bit, knocked over a few things. There was a tiny aftershock a short while after that as well - apparently a 3.8. The guy on the news just said there's a "one in twenty percent" chance that it's a foreshock. I don't understand that math. Must be some of that "new math" stuff.

And I Can't Even Get An Interview

I'm enjoying a day off today so you may see a scattering of really random posts from me today as things pop into my mind.

Kicking it off is one of the weirder pieces of news I've seen in some time as the WWE has hired a new member to their creative team...



That's right. The former king of teen comedies has "earned" a slot in the madness of the WWE writers room. Early estimates put his over/under at one month before he caves under the demands of travel, politics, and a psychotic but brilliant boss.

Yep. Freddie Prinze Jr. will help shape the future of the WWE...

...and I can't even get an interview.

The world trickles one step closer to collapsing upon itself.

Manny Watch

As the favorite MLB player that I met on my wedding day, Manny Ramirez holds a special place of interest to me. So, hearing that he was back on the trading block piqued my GM instincts.

As I thought about it, there seemed to be only one fair trade scenario.

The Red Sox send Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers in exchange for...

Andruw Jones.

That's obvious, right? The Sox need an OF in return - one with the potential to be awesome. Obviously, Andruw hasn't been that great this year but... well, yeah. You want to get rid of a problem, you probably have to take one back.

But I'll sweeten the pot for you.

I'll toss in longtime Boston fan favorite, Nomar Garciaparra.

Deal?

Screenplay Update

For those of you who care, you'll be pleased to know that the final draft of my first screenplay was completed yesterday. As of last night, I now officially have my first screenplay registered with the Writers Guild of America - which is a far cry from being a WGA member but hey, it's a step, right?

So, in the coming days, I'll be submitting the screenplay to a competition that could prove quite profitable.

Updates to come as I have them.

And now?

Time to start a second one!

"Dick, to the Batpole!"

Fans of this blog know that I have absolutely no qualms with kicking our President when he's down - although I do have a little concern that publishing something calling Bush a coke addict might get me on some kind of FBI watchlist.



If we lose the ability to see in our mind's eye a giant "KAPOW!" when Bush speaks, the terrorists win.