Some Dogs ain't so smart

ESPN's Buster Olney extends on my analysis of the The Team Soon to be Known As The Chavez Trolleywreck:

Los Angeles was a great defensive team in 2004, with Adrian Beltre and Cesar Izturis dominating the left side of the infield and Alex Cora making plays on the right side. With the Dodgers housed in a pitcher's park, the conventional wisdom was that this defense was the backbone of the team that won the National League West. Then Beltre signed with the Seattle Mariners, after feeling as if he barely got a serious whiff from the Dodgers, and Cora was dumped in December. Their replacements: Jeff Kent and Jose Valentin, two players who are average defensive players on their best days and very capable of sabotaging their teams on their worst defensive days. To add to the confusion, DePodesta made a huge $36 million investment in sinkerballer Derek Lowe, who generates a lot of ground balls and needs help from his infielders; Jeff Weaver, another front man on the Dodgers' staff, is the same way. (Then DePodesta signed outfielder J.D. Drew – a player who had trouble staying in the lineup on a regular basis for most of his career – for $55 million, or only $9 million less than what Beltre got). Downgrade the defense in a significant way. Then build your staff around pitchers who need defensive help. Something's wrong with this picture.

No matter how the Padres finish up, I will enjoy watching this Ship of Fools struggle through the warning waves.

Note: This post is powered by the new Dell desktop. God Bless ye.