Night Owl Cards

So, the Dodgers, for some inexplicable reason, did not offer arbitration to Randy Wolf on Tuesday. This, to me, is the most apparent example that the McCourts are going to completely pull this team down with them as they engage in their darling divorce dance. Why would you not offer arbitration to a coveted free agent pitcher unless you're deathly afraid that Wolf will say, "yes," and you'll have to pay him $10 million? (The Dodgers aren't going to be big free agent players, so it's not like they have to worry that Wolf will eat up their spending budget). L.A., not willing to risk the slim chance that Wolf would accept the offer, chose instead to forgo the draft picks that they would earn as compensation by offering him arbitration and having another team sign him. And that's how desperate Frank McCourt is for cash. Brilliant. That's some forward thinking there. Screw the future, eh? And what's our pitching staff going to look like next year? If...

It's taken me awhile to put a bow on the Dodgers' 2009 season. That's mostly because I don't like writing about my team after they have been eliminated from contention. It bums me out. But I have that "Dodger Player of the Game" listing on the sidebar that I need to eliminate now that the year's over. And I can't eliminate it without acknowledging the totals. I mean, I did pick out a most valuable Dodger after every single Dodger win this year. And I can't acknowledge the totals without writing some sort of conclusion, right? So, for those who care, here are the complete totals for the Dodger Player of the Game, and then the list will disappear from the sidebar, only to reappear in 2010 -- if I decide to do it again: 1. Matt Kemp - 12 2. Andre Ethier -11 3. Randy Wolf - 11 4. Clayton Kershaw - 8 5. Russell Martin - 6 6. Rafael Furcal - 5 7. Chad Billingsley - 4 8. Casey Blake - 4 9. Hiroki Kuroda - 4 10. Vicente Padilla - 4 11...

Two times a year, baseball fans prognosticate. Once at the start of the season and once at the start of the postseason. It's a fun activity. People seem to like it. I think some take it far too seriously, but if done in the spirit in which it is intended, as folks shooting the shit during a barroom conversation, it's good, clean, mindless entertainment. I've participated in the Prognosticating Games many times. And it's taken those many times for me to realize: I suck at it. I can't predict. I've lost my crystal ball. In fact I don't think I ever had one. My inner soothsayer is on permanent vacation. For years, even though I knew this, I'd still pretend that I could predict the outcome of games. I'd participate in weekly NFL pools. Didn't win squat. Because of my job, people would ask me to predict the score of the local college football game. That's a funny thing to ask someone who finds the squirrels scurrying around the backyard more i...

I received notice a day or so ago that someone will be sending me a 2009 Clayton Kershaw autographed card. That is seriously nice of Chris. And I'll be sure to reserve the next A&G auto I get for him. But that doesn't mean I'm done with Kershaw autos. I may not need the A&G Kershaw signature anymore, but I know there are a few other Clayton autos out there, since bloggers keep pulling them everywhere. Fortunately, I just won a contest at The Mojo Hand last week. And my winnings are in my possession. So, now I can use a couple of the cards as bait for Kershaws, or something else that agrees with my collection. Because my collection is very particular. Finicky, even. The first card I'm offering up for trade is a deadly serious one. In exchange for it, I would really like a Kershaw autographed card, preferably from this year. But we can work something out. This might be the thickest card I have ever owned. You could use it for a doorstop, if you were, you ...

I know everyone has seen Topps Series 2 by now. But have you seen it out of one of those cereal boxes? I haven't. On the blogs anyway. I found these standing up like toy soldiers at Target today. I naturally picked the Jackie Robinson box. I have no idea who is on the other boxes, because all I saw was Jackie and my mind was made up. Everything about the cereal boxes is the same as Series I. A total of 55 cards, plus one legends chrome refractor . One Turkey Red, one Legends of the Game, one Toppstown . All for $9.99. Off we go: 1. #573- Adam Wainwright, Cardinals 2. #490 - Joba Chamberlain, Yankees 3. #439 - Ryan Spilborghs , Rockies. (Do you think the dude on the cell phone is telling the person on the other end, "Hey, check me out in Series 2?") 4. #397 - Carlos Ruiz, Phillies 5. #353 - Derek Jeter , Yankees (You've all seen it. The guy doesn't need any more face time). 6. #527 - Jason Isringhausen , Cardinals 7. #629 - Lyle Overbay , Blue Jays 8. #...

Thank goodness Randy Wolf hasn't bought into the "After Manny" B.S. I'm so sick of hearing that garbage. Did you see his pitching performance Wednesday night? That's how you respond to endless talk about your team losing your top hitter for 50 days. Good for you, Randy. Way to shut up the idiots who bring up after every single loss that "the Dodgers are now x-x since Manny Ramirez's suspension." Good God, what a simplistic way of looking at things. Sure, Manny is a great player. And he can help your team play at a much higher level. But he's not Michael Jordan and this is not basketball. It takes more than one player to elevate a team for an extended period. And the Dodgers aren't the 1950s Pirates with Ralph Kiner and no one else . The Dodgers actually have decent players on their team aside from Ramirez. Even without Ramirez, they're better than anyone in the NL West, with the possible exception of the Diamondbacks, who haven't b...

Chad Billingsley goes to the mound this afternoon for the Dodgers' home opener against the good-for-nothing Giants. I'm as excited as someone who resides 3,000 miles away can be. But while the opener is less than four hours away, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the Dodgers scored their first run in yesterday's game against the Diamondbacks. Have you ever heard of the fourth-out rule before yesterday? I hadn't. Neither had a bunch of people playing in Sunday's game. Here is what happened. It is the top of the second inning with one out and Arizona leading 1-0. Juan Pierre is on second base after hitting a one-out single and stealing second. Andre Ethier is on third base after walking and advancing to third on Pierre's single. Randy Wolf, a pretty good hitting pitcher, hits a line drive that Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren catches for the second out. Haren throws to second baseman Felipe Lopez, to force out Juan Pierre, who was caught off secon...