Torre, Donnie Baseball and LA-Rod?
Let me start off. I grew up a Yankee fan. I lived in the pre-cable Little Leaguer’s heaven equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia and could watch 3, count ‘em, 3 baseball games most summer afternoons. I could watch the Yankees with Phil Rizzuto calling the plays on WPIX channel 11, the Mets with Ralph Kiner on channel 9 and the Phillies on WPHL on UHF channel 17. At night, I could pull in radio stations as far away as Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Washington and sometimes even Cleveland, so that meant I could often catch my local teams even “far away”.
I took some pride in becoming a Yankee fan not during their World Series heyday but during their doldrums in the early 1970′s when they were more famous for wife-swapping than winning. Thurman Munson became my personal idol as I aspired to and became a Little League and then a Babe Ruth League all star catcher.
In 1985, I moved to Los Angeles. Like many ex-pat New York fans, I obnoxiously kept my old loyalties. Around 2005, I came to realize I had lived in Los Angeles longer than I had lived anywhere and I really owed my loyalties to my adopted city… and became a Dodger fan.
Like an ex-smoker, I began to hate the Yankees and what they stood for.
Except for the few bits of class like Torre and Jeter, who were impossible to hate.
Of course, true Yankee fans would argue that I was already an apostate or never really a true believer, having never held that Rizzuto belonged in the Hall of Fame nor should Munson or Mattingly be elected. And Munson was my favorite… player… ever.
Anyway, back to the present. I’ve still got 40 years of muscle memory as a Red Sox hater and don’t want Grady Little managing MY Dodgers.
I kinda like the idea of the team spirit that the Dodgers seem to be pumping into the city for it’s 50th anniversary celebrating the move to LA. It just brought Vin Scully back to KABC radio, the strongest AM signal in town. And nothing could be sweeter than Joe rubbing George’s nose in it by bringing a Series to LA, effectively proving that it wasn’t Joe’s fault, but George’s that the Yankees aren’t performing.
Now let’s talk about the possibility of LA-Rod. A-Rod DOES have something to prove by winning a ring. The Dodgers would also love to put a steroid-free Dodger uniform as the all time home run champ in the Hall of Fame some day. And can you say every kid with an “ez” at the end of his name wearing an A-Rod uniform in Southern California. The “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” (gesundheit!) have been aggressive and winning the marketing war in this town for years. If A-Rod doesn’t pull a Darren Dreifort and can put up the kind of MVP stats he has in New York and elsewhere, he’ll be a box office star, even if the Dodgers don’t win the World Series. An LA-Rod is EXACTLY the kind of marquis that could push Dodger attendance over the 4 million mark. And can you say “Spanish Language Broadcasting Revenues”?
A-Rod could NEVER own New York. He COULD become LA’s biggest baseball player ever. New York has its Ruth and Reggie and Mickey. Boston had its Ted and Yaz. Detroit had Ty. But who defines LOS ANGELES baseball? Koufax? Sorry. Love him. But I don’t give MVPs to pitchers. Certainly don’t consider them to be THAT critical. Go see how Steve Carlton won a Cy Young for the last place Phillies. You won’t see an MVP awarded to a position player on a last place team.
I have many reservations. I don’t think A-Rod is clutch. His numbers remind me of Darryl Strawberry’s, inflated during blowouts, either for or against us, but rarely in come-from behind or close games. I’m also NOT thrilled with moving La Roche from third base. He’s a good kid with potential. Pity he can’t be shifted to the outfield. It was fun rooting for the Dodgers who contended before Grady Little killed the fun.
What else? I have to say I’m a sucker for David Wells. I think LA should hedge its bets on Wolf coming back healthy and offer Wells the same $3M contract he had with San Diego last year with insanely generous performance incentives, like an extra half million dollars for every win after 8 next season. If he ends up winning 16 games and makes another $4M, he’d more than have earned it. $7M for a 16-game winner is CHEAP in 2007. And Wells would be a #4 pitcher.
Next? I learned about the Tour de France this year from my work over on Bicycle.net. It’s a real team sport… the “winner” splits his prize with his teammates. Imagine if LA-Rod offered the following performance incentive to his teammates if he got a $27M/yr salary from his buddies… put a ring on his finger and he’ll add a $100k bonus to every player on the 40-man roster. Hell, he’ll make $4M on the INTEREST of his salary this year. It won’t cost him much. Better, have it add 50% for each new ring so he can rub Jeter’s nose in it — if he gets a 2nd World Series to LA, he’d give his teammates who’d been with him before $150k and new ones $100k. And so on.
I’ll close with quashing the rumor that Torre is demanding that the Dodgers return to the “B” caps of his Brooklyn Dodgers boyhood days.
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