Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Angels and Dodgers...Stupid Teams
David Eckstein...Paul Lo Duca...Guillermo Mota...Jeff Weaver...Scott Spezio...Jim Edmonds...Shawn Green...Jose Valentin...Juan Encarnacion.
These names all have one thing in common. They all played in LA (yes, to the diseased minds in Anaheim, Anaheim is in LA) on either promising or championship teams.
Let's go through this. Why the Angels traded Eckstein is beyond me. He was a cornerstone of the 2002 Wild Card/World Series champs, and they traded him to make room for the big time guys like Vladimir Guerrero, who has yet to lead them to the same place. Getting rid of Spezio also looks bad right now, especially since the man hits over .600 with runners in scoring position in the postseason.
The Dodgers' trade which involved Lo Duca, Encarnacion and Mota (all three of whom are in the NLCS right now) has proven to be one of the most short sighted in recent memory. The Dodgers' bullpen has never been the same, and Lo Duca's presence has been missed.
Jeff Weaver is enough of a wild card that I can't blame anyone for trading him, but he has pitched two fine games in the clutch.
Shawn Green was a good citizen in LA. He provided some great years for the Dodgers, and all they could do in return was desperately try to get rid of him.
Valentin was a good veteran presence on the Dodgers before injuries took him out.
And Jim Edmonds. Ah yes...the ol' Edmonds for Kent Bottenfield trade. Who, may you ask, is Kent Bottenfield? My point exactly.
It must be something in the water, or probably something in the air, which causes these two teams to trade such useful pieces of their respective puzzles. Lo Duca will never be in the Hall of Fame, but his skills and play are so valuable to a championship caliber team.
My wife and I disagree about the NLCS (I am rooting for the Cards, Steph for the Mets), but we do agree on one thing...the amount of expatriot Angels and Dodgers in the NLCS is striking. What makes it even more striking is the absence of both the Angels and Dodgers for any further post season play this year.
These names all have one thing in common. They all played in LA (yes, to the diseased minds in Anaheim, Anaheim is in LA) on either promising or championship teams.
Let's go through this. Why the Angels traded Eckstein is beyond me. He was a cornerstone of the 2002 Wild Card/World Series champs, and they traded him to make room for the big time guys like Vladimir Guerrero, who has yet to lead them to the same place. Getting rid of Spezio also looks bad right now, especially since the man hits over .600 with runners in scoring position in the postseason.
The Dodgers' trade which involved Lo Duca, Encarnacion and Mota (all three of whom are in the NLCS right now) has proven to be one of the most short sighted in recent memory. The Dodgers' bullpen has never been the same, and Lo Duca's presence has been missed.
Jeff Weaver is enough of a wild card that I can't blame anyone for trading him, but he has pitched two fine games in the clutch.
Shawn Green was a good citizen in LA. He provided some great years for the Dodgers, and all they could do in return was desperately try to get rid of him.
Valentin was a good veteran presence on the Dodgers before injuries took him out.
And Jim Edmonds. Ah yes...the ol' Edmonds for Kent Bottenfield trade. Who, may you ask, is Kent Bottenfield? My point exactly.
It must be something in the water, or probably something in the air, which causes these two teams to trade such useful pieces of their respective puzzles. Lo Duca will never be in the Hall of Fame, but his skills and play are so valuable to a championship caliber team.
My wife and I disagree about the NLCS (I am rooting for the Cards, Steph for the Mets), but we do agree on one thing...the amount of expatriot Angels and Dodgers in the NLCS is striking. What makes it even more striking is the absence of both the Angels and Dodgers for any further post season play this year.
# posted by Unknown @ 11:03 PM 
