Torre Goes West

Well the deal is official. Joe Torre has officially signed a contract for 3 years worth about $13 million. Interesting move to say the least. Now obviously this was a shock to no one when Grady Little suddenly resigned, but it will be diferent to see how Torre will fare in a less pressurized situation ( I know its LA, but let's face it, the pressure is nowhere as tough as NY).

Joe Torre will try to bridge the gap between the rivalry of the Rookies and the Veterans on the Dodger squad and with all the egos that Torre has had to deal with NY, I think this is a perfect fit for the Dodgers. GM Ned Colletti said this will most likely only be a short-term position, which makes it seem that Don Mattingly's first chance to manage will be in LA (presuming he does indeed follow Torre to LA). Now the question is, do the Dodgers try and pursue A-ROD to come to this LA and not the LA of Anaheim?

The Dodgers have a plethora of young talent to deal with and I think Torre will be in a much better situation in LA than in NY. With their lineup looking like this...

SS Furcal
CF Pierre
3B Garciaparra
2B Kent
C Martin
1B Loney
RF Kemp
LF Ethier/Young

...I like the way the team is built. Sure, A-Rod would like nice in there instead of the oft-injusred Nomar, but is it worth the risk?

By the way, not to mention a starting rotation headlining Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, and Jason Schmidt.

I like the Dodgers chances next year.

...'til next time

-E

Green Kool*Aid

Don't Sip the Kool*Aid on the Boston Celtics this year!

Before the Celtics tip off their season, I just want to put it out there that I am not going to sip on that green kool-aid, celtic flavor. I do not think the Celtics will win the NBA Championship, nor do I think they will win the East. Sure, the Celtics will be a tough team to play against, but they draw similar comparisons to the '03-'04 LA Lakers. The Lakers team that included Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone,and Gary Payton.

That Laker squad did not have any real role players and way to many egos to do anything with that team. Sure, they made it to the Finals, but lost 4 - 1 to the Detroit Pistons, who were a much better TEAM. Talent-Wise the Lakers were much better, but didn't mesh very well.

THe one thing that could set the Celtics apart this season is the different types of superstars they have this season. Kevin Garnett, does not need to score every possession to be happy, and is one of the most unselfish players in the NBA. Ray Allen, is the perfect example of someone to kick the ball out to to hit open 3's all day when KG is double teamed. Paul Pierce is the definition of a slasher. What is missing from the equation? A pass-first PG and role players. Don't even tell me Scot Pollard and Eddie House are going to make a difference. I do agree that James Posey was a good signing as a defensive stopper. But Rajon Rondo?! If I were the Celtics I would look for a player that has some experience and is a known pass first guy.

The Celtics will be a very tough team this year, but I'm just saying DONT SIP THE KOOL*AID....just yet at least.

...'til next time

-E

Little is Done

According to a report on espn.com, Grady Little has resigned as the manager for Los Angeles Dodgers. Little cited "personal reasons" as the reason he left.

Are his "personal" reasons any sort of a codename for the beef he had with GM Ned Colleti or is that he "personally" could not keep the veterans from wanting to choke out the rookies during the strecth run of the season?

The most likely canidate to replace Little already is Joe Torre. Who could come along with bench coach Don Mattingly and who knows perhaps Alex Rodriguez will fly off to LA LA land as well.

...'til next time

-E

The Days of our Lives (Yankees edition)

The first topic I want to write about has to be what should be known as the "Yankees Saga". Seriosuly, this team has become more of a soap opera than The Days of our Lives. Let's run down what has happened so far after the Yanks once again came up short in the ALDS, even though having the highest payroll in baseball. (By the way, the team with the second highest payroll WON the World Series for the 2nd time in 4 years).

10/9/07 - Yankees lose to Indians, eliminated from playoffs

The saga starts with the list of potential free agents including:
- Bobby Abreu (team option), Alex Rodriguez (opt out option), Jorge Posada, Mo Rivera, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite (player option) --> (courtesy of http://www.mlb4u.com/freeagency.php?field=team)

- Joe Torre rejects the Yankees offer of 1 year for $5million
- list of potential replacements include Tony Pena, Don Mattingly, and Joe Girardi

10/28/07 (Approximately the 6th Inning of Game 4 of the World Series): Word comes out that A-Rod will opt out.
10/28/07 Joe Girardi will be offered managerial position
1029/07 Don Mattingly will not return as bench coach for New York.

So the potential ripple down effect of Torre rejecting this offer has already left the Yankees without Don Mattingly and Alex Rodriguez, but has a very good chance of seeing Rivera, Posada, Clemens, and Pettite all leaving.

What the Yankees do have going for them is that Joe Girardi as their manager who knows how to deal with young talent (Marlins) and a lot of homegrown talent coming up such as Joba, Hughes, and Kennedy for Girardi to help groom. Potentially, not a bad rotation in the next few years with Wang, Hughes, Kennedy, and Joba.

Now was the 1 year offer to Joe Torre initially a slap in the face or was it a nice gesture saying the Yankees don't want him back but will at least make an offer? I applaud Torre for turning that down and sticking it to New York. If the dude wins 4 world series and makes the playoffs every year but somehow is still not living up to the standard of Mr Steinbrenner, then why deal with it year in and year out? It won't be long before Torre has other offers coming his way, should he choose to continue managing (potentially the LA Dodgers).

What to think of Alex Rodriguez and his decision to opt out as rival Boston Red Sox are about to clinch another World Series? One side of me thinks it was A-rod being an egomaniac because of him personally taking away the attention from the BoSox winning the World Series and shifting it to himself. The other side of me thinks that it is a smart move on his part. A-rod was able to opt out before a manager was named and now it doesn't look like he didn't wanna play for Joe Girardi or if it was Don Mattingly, he just wanted to get out to avoid anymore unnecessary issues.

It will definitely be interesting to see where this Soap Opera leads to the rest of the Winter...

...'til next time

-E

Allow me to Introduce Myself...

Allow me to open this first post by introducing myself and the purpose of this blog. My name is Eric DeLash and a student at the University of Maryland. I am part of a radio show at UMD titled "The Steak, Crab, & Curry Show" which airs from 5 to 6 pm on Mondays on www.wmucsports.com. Philadelphia Sports are my thing and a mentality of "what have you done for lately?" generally goes along with it. Not to mention a big supporter of Terps football and hoops.