Los Angeles Dodgers Lose 5-2 to Arizona Diamondbacks: John Lindsey out for rest of season
You know the state of your team when the biggest news story was not that the team lost, it seems we’ve gotten used to that but the fact that 16 year minor league John Lindsey broke his left hand on an inside fastball and he’ll be out for the rest of the season.
Going back to the game, it seems that John Ely, the “Master of Control” earlier on in the season has now become “The Walk Master.” After recording only 6 walks in his first 6 starts, Ely has since walked 21 in his last 11 games and hasn’t won a game since June 29th losing 4 of his next 5 decisions.
Even today Ely threw 6 walks, equaling the total of his first 6 games, where he also had 3 consecutive games where he didn’t surrender a single walk. He’s gone from future impact player to Mr. Inconsistency. Also amazingly as well, after not giving up a single home-run in 7 straight starts, he’s now given up 11 in his last 10 games and has given up 1 or more home runs in his last 4 games, all losses except on September 11th where he got a no decision after pitching into the 6th inning.
Other than that, I think by now no one really expect the Dodgers to win another game and pretty much shrug their shoulders to any loss and could care less if they win.
Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Arizona Diamondbacks on the strength of Kershaw’s Arm
Usually when a team is out of the playoffs it’s hard to watch the games or even care about them at all, except when Clayton Kershaw pitches. All over I heard in regards to the team “I dont care about tonights game” but when told Kershaw will be on the mound “Ill definitely be watching that then.”
Clayton Kershaw has been one of the few bright spots, as we watch him in the 2nd half turn in one masterful game after another, we’re left to wonder if this is the start of something really special. I’ve always been high on the kid, it’s hard to go 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA at the age of 21 and not be considered a great pitcher but if you can believe it, when people would say we need an “Ace” and I’d point them to Kershaw all I heard was “Oh, he’s not ready yet.” When asked what that meant they’d usually say “He’s inconsistent,” “He walks too many batters,” or “He’s just not there yet.”
Since the end of June Kershaw has been wonderful, while his record isn’t all that great, 5-6, his ERA has been an awesome 2.78. Manager Joe Torre on his performance tonight “He was very special. He dominated right from the get-go,” Torre said.
His win-loss record isn’t totally reflective on his he’s pitched, 3 losses he only gave up 2 runs, usually more than enough to get an easy win on most teams and another couple masterful performances of 1 and 2 run games for him turned into no decisions.But as long as he keeps going along like this, we can expect many more wins.
Matt Kemp also extended his streak of consecutive games played to 196 which is the longest in the majors. Kemp didn’t start today but Torre asked him about the streak “I asked him if it was important for him, and it was,” Torre said of Kemp. “So that was good enough for me.” Kemp was pitch hit for rookie Trent Oeltjen in the 8th and remained in the game for the 9th inning.
After surrendered a single and a run scoring double Kershaw was replaced by Kenly Jansen who after going 1-1 coaxed 2B Kelly Johnson to pop out to short left center field, followed by a full count walk and two straight strikeouts. It was Kenly’s second save of the season and I hope a preview of what’s to come next season. If he continues to pitch like this, I can easily see a rookie of the year for him if he’s eligible next season.
Los Angeles Dodgers Defeat San Diego Padres 3-1
Oh, the Dodgers won. I guess the can play spoiler after all. After having a 5-17 record against the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres, it was starting to look like the Dodgers were just going to roll over and let the three teams ahead of them just push them around while they jockey for playoff position.
Hiroki Kuroda was going to have none of that, he came in and pitch 8 wonderful innings, shutting down the Padres offense to a single run while Andre Ethier and Rafael Furcal provided all the offense with Furcal scoring 2 runs both coming from Ethier and Ethier scoring a run on a bases loaded walk.
The next series is quite meaningless against the Arizona Diamondback, both teams are way out of contention, this should be interesting, will anyone care if they win or not? The more losses, the higher the draft pick next year in what some experts feel is a loaded amateur draft.
Los Angeles Dodgers Lose 6th Straight Game against the San Diego Padres
I guess it can’t get any worse. With the San Francisco Giants winning yesterday the Dodgers playoff hopes were totally squashed as they were mathematically eliminated and also recorded their 17th shutout against them.
Today, the Dodgers still show no sign of life as the offense only gets 3 hits and the single run was on a fielders choice, the final score 3-1 Padres.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see more teams from now until the end of the year rather than go for the lead runner, just let the Dodgers score if they already have the lead, more likely than not lately, it will be their only run.
In other Dodger news…
Russell Martin would like to be back with the team next year. LA Times
Then accept lower than the 8 million in arbitration that would be due you next season, you’re definitely not worth it, but you are worth the $5.95 mil you got this year and going forward.
From Dodger Divorce
This sounds like good news, at least for the fans.
Perhaps no one had a worse day yesterday than Larry Silverstein. The Boston lawyer, who represented at least one McCourt during the time of the execution of the MPA, admitted under oath to switching out an exhibit to a signed, notarized document. He acknowledged that “it would have been better practice” to inform Frank and Jamie McCourt of the substitution, but he did not feel the ethical need to do so. He didn’t meet with his firm’s ethics or conflicts committees until well after this had become a problem.
And it’s quite a problem. My gut feeling, the basics of which are shared by several close watchers, is that Frank and Jamie absolutely meant to execute the Massachusetts MPA–the one now extraordinarily favorable to Frank. Remember, it was not always so imbalanced. I believe that Frank wanted the upside and Jamie the stability. But, several years later, as the value of the team skyrocketed and the value of high-end real estate plummeted, Jamie’s late discovery of the document switch might have given her legal team all it needs.
Their argument is simple: if you have two sets of documents which are completely opposite on a material term, how can you enforce either? Jamie isn’t asking Judge Gordon to bless the California MPA. She wants the whole thing tossed, which would put into motion a series of events nearly certain to lead to the sale of the Dodgers.
Now that’s if it all goes through court but there’s a chance that both sides will come to a settlement out of court Friday but if Jamie gets things they way she wants, we can see an end to this farce and get someone in here who knows how to run a business and a professional baseball team.
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt’s Laywer Added Page Into Post-Nuptial Agreement
Source ESPN LA
A lawyer who drafted the postnuptial agreement for Jamie and Frank McCourt says he switched versions to list the Dodgers as Frank McCourt’s separate property.Testifying Tuesday at the couple’s Los Angeles divorce trial, Larry Silverstein says he changed the agreement in 2004 after it was signed — and didn’t tell Jamie McCourt the new version gave her husband sole ownership.Silverstein hasn’t said why he made the changes.
The agreement is at the center of the dispute between the McCourts and could decide who owns the Dodgers, the stadium and surrounding land worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The McCourts signed copies of both versions of the agreement but Jamie McCourt testified Monday that she never read the agreement.
It seems both sides are playing the “I was ignorance” defense, and didn’t read the post-nuptial agreement, which even if it were true, scares me. Who having millions of dollars in assets would totally trust their lawyer to get things right and not read the agreement that would decide their future?
I think both Jamie and Frank are bold faced liars but that’s going to be hard to prove in courts. This story however does give credence to Jamie being ignorant because if the lawyer changed something in the agreement, then Jamie couldn’t claim it wasn’t in there and would it be just like a sly lawyer to say to his client “She didn’t even look at it” and Frank with his snake in the grass attitude saying “Slip this page in there so I can get sole ownership in case something happens.”
In the “original” agreement, the Dodgers were not listed as an asset, only their personal assets were listed but the page entered gave Frank McCourt sole ownership in case of a divorce.
What does this mean? It means that if and I think when, the judge rules the agreement invalid, that it will either become community property and be sold or belong to both Jamie and Frank and because they are divorcing the team will be sold, either way I am one happy camper.
The only problem I foresee is the arbitration process and when it comes to money in the millions, there is almost always an arbitration, and if one side feels they didn’t get what they deserved, a civil hearing. Which means that there’s a good chance this will go on through the 2011 baseball season, oh joy.
