Top Five Friday: Survivor - A Dodger Edition

What was that I said last week about 1-10 shifts on a Friday? Grrr.

Anyways, one day removed, I've decided to expand upon my words earlier this week regarding the Dodgers' youth movement. Obviously, some bodies need to hit the floor over this off-season and quite frankly, a lot of them. And just as obviously, it'll be close to impossible to get rid of everyone I'd like to get rid of. So, I'm going with the opposite approach today.

The Top Five Members Of The '08 Dodgers Roster I'd Keep For '09!

NOTE: I considered the current 25 Man Roster as well as the disabled list when coming up with this list.

That means the players under consideration are the following:

RP Joe Beimel
SP Chad Billingsley
RP Jonathan Broxton
SP/RP Scott Elbert
SP/RP Jason Johnson
SP/RP Hong-Chih Kuo
SP Hiroki Kuroda
SP Derek Lowe
SP Greg Maddux
SP/RP Chan Ho Park
RP Ramon Troncoso
RP Cory Wade
C Danny Ardoin
C Russell Martin
IF Angel Berroa
3B Casey Blake
IF Blake DeWitt
IF Nomar Garciaparra
IF Jeff Kent
1B James Loney
IF Mark Sweeney
OF Andre Ethier
OF Matt Kemp
OF Juan Pierre
OF Manny Ramirez

DL
--
RP Scott Proctor
SP/RP Brad Penny
OF Andruw Jones
OF/IF Delwyn Young
RP Yhency Brazoban
RP Takashi Saito
SS Rafael Furcal
C Gary Bennett
SP Jason Schmidt
IF Tony Abreu

First, we ditch the journeymen who are easily replaced. So long Jason Johnson, Ramon Troncoso, Cory Wade, Danny Ardoin, Angel Berroa, Mark Sweeney, Scott Proctor, and Gary Bennett.

Next, we bid adieu to the oft-injured lot who you just can't depend on over a 162 game season. Hit the road Hong-Chih Kuo, Tony Abreu, and Yhency Brazoban. All have/had potential but they just can't be relied on. That also casts out Jason Schmidt who has sat on the DL for two of his three year deal and has become yet another reason why Dodger fans fear FA pitching [see: Brown, Kevin and Dreifort, Darren.] Everyone will be gunning for Sabathia in the off-season but the length of deal and numbers he's talking will make me nervous. And yes, a fond farewell to Nomar Garciaparra. We really wanted to love you - but your injury prone history couldn't help but catch up with you.

Here's a few that I hate to drop but odds are, it's time.

Greg Maddux is a great midseason grab - but to watch him hold a spot in the rotation [unless the other four are way above average] at this point, it probably not a good idea. He wants to sign on as a pitching coach? Hell yes. As a starter, I think I'm over it.

Chan Ho Park's return is a great story but at this stage of his career, he's basically a long reliever and occasional spot starter. I don't think he's about to relive his youth so I'll pass.

Brad Penny's recent slew of injuries have me worried that he may never recapture his ace form. I think it's time to cut bait and run. Takashi Saito also gets dropped at this point sadly. I think he's still got life in him but if Broxton's the closer of the future, give him the ball and see what happens.

Next, we drop a couple of overpriced free agents. Obviously, Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones must go. 'nuff said.

I'll also not re-sign Casey Blake cause I don't feel like spending the money on a 35 year old 3B.

Here's a few that I wouldn't mind keeping but just don't have room for. Joe Beimel, Hiroki Kuroda, Blake DeWitt, and Delwyn Young.

Of course, my number one "please get him out of my sight" on this list is Jeff Kent.
That leaves us with ten.

Scott Elbert gets pulled off the list since he hasn't had a start yet and I don't have any reason to keep him on here at this point.

Derek Lowe gets knocked off the list because I think he's peaked as a Dodger and just hasn't seemed himself since the Carolyn Hughes mess. Plus, as a FA, he'll be too pricey I'd imagine. Down to eight.

This is where it gets tough. I also gotta give up Jonathan Broxton here. I think he's a great pitcher but his recent struggles have me wondering if his conditioning or the pressure is the problem. Either way, I'm not sure I trust him as the closer of the future at the moment.

Rafael Furcal is the next to go on my list. While he's a fantastic player and has been a great asset to the team over the past couple of years but he does have some pretty chronic injuries that would make me think twice before giving him the kind of deal he's likely to want.

5. Andre Ethier/Manny Ramirez
This is the hard one. It really depends on how the rest of the team is made up. Right now, there's a surplus of outfielders. There's also a surplus of big money contracts. Unless serious salary can be shed, I'm guessing Manny will have to go despite his positive impact on the team's offense, public relations, and fan support.

4. James Loney
I think Loney is the Dodger first baseman for some time to come. He's an excellent hitter and will only get better in time.

3. Russell Martin
Of course. In my mmind, the team captain and best chance they have at a Kirk Gibson type who will get the squad fired up and make the kind of hustle plays to carry the team to the next level. There's been a lot of talk this week about lack of heart and passion. Russell Martin could be the answer to that.

2. Chad Billingsley
The ace of the future - and perhaps the ace right now. Billingsley should anchor the Dodgers rotaton for a long time to come. When Kershaw and Elbert are ready to join him, we should really see something special.

1. Matt Kemp
When Matt Kemp becomes the kind of player that we all believe he can, the Dodgers will have their own homegrown Manny Ramirez at a fraction of the price. To me, Kemp is perhaps the most vital piece of this puzzle the franchise is trying to put together.

The Battle Lines Are Drawn

Politics is a fascinating beast if you take the time to study it. As a former Political Science major [who changed majors because I missed a midterm because I wasn't going to class - whoops], I've always been intrigued by the field. I feel a little guilty because I haven't been following the Democratic National Convention very closely this week. I hear that there have been some amazing speeches and I'm hopeful that I'll still be able to track them all down online to watch in the near future.

But that's not the reason for this post.

I just opened Yahoo to discover that John McCain has selected his VP candidate and, in the process, ensured that whoever wins come November, history will most assuredly be made.

And don't think for a second that McCain doesn't know that.

I'm not going to belittle Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's sure-to-be-impressive resume for the second highest post in the land buuuuuuut...

Well, if ever a selection reeked of a political maneuver, it's this one. And that's not to say that Obama didn't do the same thing in selecting Biden - because of course, he did, but it was a little more subtle. Biden has worlds of experience in Washington and has experience in the areas where Obama is likely to take a hit - so that makes them a good match.

Without having done much research this morning, McCain's selection strikes me as a blatant grab for Hillary Clinton's supporters - or more specifically, those who supported Hillary because they felt, as a woman, they had an obligation to do so to put a woman in the White House. This move by McCain smells like him trying to grab that sense of obligation and steer it in his direction. After all, we've heard for weeks now that Hillary's voters haven't swayed to Obama yet [it's bitter grapes in my opinion - they'll see the light before it's over] so McCain making a final grab for them makes perfect sense.

It's quite genius and whether you like it or not, you at least have to respect the initial brilliance behind it. But it's quite transparent so if she turns out to be a flop or grossly underqualified, it could be the final nail in the political coffin of the former POW.

I saw somewhere this morning that 67 days remain before the election. That seems unreal to me. The drawn-out primaries really shrunk down the actual campaign time to where it hasn't even felt like an election year so far. But I'd imagine it's going to get kicked into overdrive right about now.

Should be a fun run. I'm looking forward to it.

What Happens When No One Wants To Win

So, it's fairly obvious no one wants to win the NL West.

Okay, maybe that's not fair. Obviously they want to win... but they just don't want to win.

The Dodgers have lost seven games in a row - nine out of the last ten... and stay in second place only 3.5 games out. Everyone can do that math on that. There's no need for me to point out how sad that is. With any kind of win streak at all by anyone in the division, they could have run away with it by this point. But now? It's anyone's game.

There's not a lot of people talking about the NL West because... well, it's no fun talking about teams that aren't winning or playing well at all unless you're making fun of them.

So, that's why when someone speaks - people listen.

One of my favorite Dodgers of all time is Orel Hershiser - so when Orel speaks, I listen.

Earlier this week during an ESPN broadcast, he apparently questioned the Dodgers' heart and passion for the game. I say "apparently" because he refused to repeat his comment for the papers and no one has a direct quote. He also apparently alluded to a divided clubhouse - the same ailment that Joe Torre was supposed to solve after last season's collapse.

Larry Bowa, one of the team's own coaches, had similar comments this week talking about how the team had not responded "mentally and emotionally" to the pressures of the divisional race. He also expressed embarassment in how the team played in Philly which I'm sure is only stronger after getting swept by the fucking Nationals.

It's hard to watch- it really is. You can see the talent on the team but you just can't get the results. It's a frustrating time to watch the team for sure.

Will they win the division? Maybe. The talent is there to put together a winning streak and make the postseason but they just as easily could nosedive and finish in the cellar. I just can't tell.

And for the record, I don't blame Ned Coletti for it and don't think he deserves to be fired. With the exception of Juan Pierre, I don't blame him for anything else. I think the clubhouse is in disarray again and as much as it's a hard sell PR-wise, I really think they should hand over every spot on the field to a young player and let them work it out together. All the stopgap solutions like Jones, Blake, etc. just don't get it done.

If you need to, sign Manny and let him fill the seats - but I'd fill the rest of the team with the kids [or as much as possible] and let the chips fall where they may. We'll never know if this long-touted group of youngsters can cut it if they don't get the opportunity to let it fly.

And for god's sake, get Jeff Kent off my fucking field.

The Creative Process: A crisis of faith

I think I'm in trouble.

In my last post, I had discussed the fork in the road and the great difficulty in making the choice between the easier road and the really fucked up one.

I thought I had decided to take that really bumpy road - the one with the construction going on because there are huge open trenches to drive over and all these crazy detours to take to reach the final destination. I had rented movies and bought CDs for inspiration.

And now I'm seriously doubting my ability to bring this story forth.

To be continued...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

God Loves Kristin Chenoweth

Eh. That'll do.

See more Kristin Chenoweth videos at Funny or Die

I'm Sorry

My apologies in advance for subjecting you guys to this but... well, I kinda had a soft spot for the first movie in this series - and then never bothered to see the others since the original cast was split up.

But this time? Well, let's just say I'm at least curious.

Comics And Movies

With this summer officially the summer of the Comic Book Movie, the studios are scrambling to adapt everything and anything they can. Marvel's plans for Thor, Captain America, and eventually, The Avengers, are pretty well known. Warner Bros/DC have talked in recent days of a Superman reboot as well as developing Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc. in hopes of finally getting a JLA picture off the ground. Even the indies aren't being left out as one of my favorite comics, Sleeper, has been optioned with Tom Cruise being discussed as the lead. With The Spirit coming for the holidays, Watchmen early in '09, and G.I. Joe and Transformers 2 next summer - it's a good time to be a comic book fan if you like going to the movies.

One of my frequently checked websites, Comics2film, discussed a couple lists of comic book movie ideas. Let's take a look!

First, there was a list of the Top 10 Marvel Comics Heroes they wanted to see in the movies. Here's the list with my comments on each:

Dr. Strange
I could actually dig this one, I think. The Harry Potter movies have shown that magic and fantasy in the right hands can be a lot of fun for everyone. Something that starts darker from moment one could work nicely.

Namor, The Sub-Mariner
Uhhh. I really don't want to see this. I'd be more interesting in Aquaman, I think - and I'm not very interested in that at all. Unless Mandy Moore is playing Aquagirl - then I'm all in.

She-Hulk
Wow. Absolutely no desire to see this. Let's see if we can get the Hulk franchise nice and stable before we go there - and even then, let's not go there.

Ant-Man
Fuck. This list looked like it'd be a lot more fun to check out then it has turned out to be. This is a joke, right?

Captain Marvel
Next?

Scarlet Witch
Seriously? Next?

Nick Fury
Ahhh. There we go. With Samuel Jackson already in place as Mr. Fury, I could totally dig a 24-esque Nick Fury flick. Have him taking on HYDRA and I'm sold.

Black Panther
I actually think this could be good. The Panther background and the story of his country would be a lot of fun. This one probably could fly as a 300-ish style story actually. Just put the Panther in the leader role.

Cloak And Dagger
Never read it. Won't comment.

Power Pack
Nope. But I do think a Luke Cage movie might be fun.


The other article had to do with "unfilmable" movies based off the fact that for years, everyone considered Watchmen to be an unfilmable movie. Of course, a lot of people felt the same way about Sin City and 300 too - guess special effects are bringing down a lot of those walls. So, this was a list of comics considered "unfilmable" that they want Hollywood to tackle. Let's take a look!

The Sandman
Largely considered Neil Gaiman's greatest comic work, The Sandman has been in development hell for years. I'm not super-familiar with it sadly even though it's always been on my list to check out. I think I might even have a TPB of the first arc around here somewhere. I loved Stardust though so if The Sandman approaches the awesomeness of that [which I've always heard it does] I'd be down for it.

Preacher
Man, this list is really bringing back some memories. Preacher and The Sandman were both comics I've always wanted to sink my teeth into but never got around to. I've heard nothing but amazing things about Preacher so I'd be up for it too. However, at one point, there was talk of doing it "issue by issue" as an HBO TV Series. Now _that_ would be pimp.

Marvel Zombies
I've never even heard of this. The description talks about Spidey agonizing after eating Mary Jane. I don't understand why he'd be in agony for doing th- ohhh... I misunderstood. Hrm. I think my version makes for a better movie.

And that's that. Pretty shitty list, IMO. No Y The Last Man? No Fables? No 100 Bullets? Honestly, the entire Vertigo line is ripe to be picked for both the big and little screen. I'd love to see a 100 Bullets anthology series. Fables would be absolutely amazing - and easy to market because the characters are all familiar. Y The Last Man might be better as a TV series.