Dodger Spring Training: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

We're a few days into Spring Training now so I thought it might be an opportune time to take a look at how our Boys In Blue seem to be fairing in the opening days of training camp in scenic Glendale, Arizona...

The Good

     Ethier avoids arbitration

           Arbitration is always a tricky thing for a fan.  On the one hand, you'd like to see your team not get financially raped but if the player has it coming to him, you don't want to see him get hosed either.  But the real hard thing with arbitration is the feelings it created.  The team feels the player wasn't worth what he wants and that he's being unreasonable in his demands.  The player feels the team doesn't respect his contributions.  No matter how the hearing results - and the Dodgers haven't lost one since Kim Ng took over on that front - bitter feelings seem to always remain.  So, I was very happy to hear that the Dodgers avoided going to arbitration with any players this year with a last-second deal with Andre Ethier.  And when I say "last-second," I mean it as apparently the deal was signed in the hallway outside the hearing.   Hopefully both sides can put it behind them and get down to business.

The Bad

      The Dodgers' Starting Pitching Woes

           Despite some good news on the Jason Schmidt front - it appears he may actually be ready to take the #5 slot in the rotation for the start of the season - this area of the team is a definite weakness and an area to be quite concerned with.  With the departure of Brad Penny and more specifically, Derek Lowe, over the past few months, the Dodgers faced a situation where they really could have used more than Randy Wolf.  The current rotation looks like Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wolf, and Jason Schmidt - which on paper should be solid at worst.  Buuuuuuut... well, Billingsley is coming off a broken leg in the off-season... Kuroda's still talking about shoulder tightness... Kershaw's just a kid... Wolf is Wolf... and Schmidt hasn't pitched in ages.  There's a ton of rookies and journeyman jostling to make the team as well but it's obviously a problem spot.  I'm optimistic but very realistic at the same time.

The Ugly

     Brad Penny vs Larry Bowa:  Let's Get It On!

           And not in a sexy Marvin Gaye kind of way either.  Penny fired the first shot earlier this week by going on to the Boston media about how happy he was to be out of LA since apparently he felt we wanted him to pitch hurt last season.  He also called out Larry Bowa for talking shit about him to other players behind his back.  Bowa retaliated by questioning his heart, his work ethic, his stamina, his loyalty and a few other things.  It was really quite the fiery reply so there's obviously some bad blood there.  In the end though, it never turns out well when a player blasts his former team.  To his new team, he already looks like an ungrateful whiner with questionable team spirit.  To his old team, they feel betrayed [especially the fans] for the support they gave him all along.  It's all part of modern sports though so what can you really say?

Maybe I'll make this a weekly thing throughout the spring.

Anyone like that idea?