Worth Every Penny

Browsing through the sports pages and I come across the above headline. No shit he's going to stay with the Dodgers after having a season like he just had in 2009. He would never come close to that on the open market especially when Jason Bay and Matt Holliday are available, plus add in the current economic situation.

What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, super agent Boras was trying to land a 3-5 year guaranteed deal worth $25mil or so a year for his precious client Manny Ramirez. We all know the Dodgers took a hard stance and didn't cave into the aging slugger's outrageous demands...kind of. Instead, the Dodgers and Manny agreed to their current deal, 2-years worth $40mil.

After suffering through a female fertility drug suspension and a 104AB, .290avg, 19HRs, and 63RBIs, the Dodgers are now kind of stuck.

Looking back the Dodgers didn't have a choice last year. They were stuck with Manny because they had no one else to throw their money at. In my eyes, this aging slugger still has some power left in him. If Manny came out and batted .310 with 30+HRs and batted in 100+, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. He is that great of a pure hitter that producing at the age of 37-38 wouldn't shock/surprise any true baseball fan. On the other hand, he could produce numbers comparable to Vernon Wells in 2009 (minus the 17SBs) and that wouldn't surprise me either. What ever happens, the Dodgers are stuck with their dreadlocks slugger.

This is what $20mil buys you these days in the big leagues. A 37 going on 38 year old slugger who is might be clean now, jogging and shagging balls in left field (during games). Where did the days go when giving a player $20mil gave guaranteed you .320avg, 40HRs, and 130RBIs?

Guess money doesn't buy happiness. It's LA, the land of outrageous everything. Maybe 2010 will bring some happiness to Manny Land.

Time to Sweep

It seems the broom is out in force after the Angels ousted the Red Sox, in Fenway, after the Yanks and the surprising guys out in La La land completed 3 game sweeps themselves.

The Yanks 3 game sweep wasn't all too surprising because of how the Twins finished the final 2-3 weeks of the season. The Twins were battling and fighting every night while the Yanks were resting and enjoying their cushion in the AL East grow. I knew the Yanks would take the series but I was a little shocked it was a sweep. Thought the momentum the Twins had would carry into at least a victory in the division series. A-Rod hits another HR and is batting .455 after three games. Pretty impressive considering his past post-season greatness. Let's see if he can carry that into the next round. Derek Jeter. You know the rest.

The Dodgers were a team I thought had nothing but a first round exit given to them but they proved me wrong. The Dodgers took it to Carpenter, Wainwright (more Franklin), and Pineiro. Andre Ethier seems legit. Fantasy note for 2010, check! Scary thought, what if Manny comes back and goes on one of his runs. Add in Ethier, Kemp, and Furcal and you have a pretty deadly lineup.

Now, to the most shocking series. What the hell happened in Boston? They let one slip through their fingers. With the experience in the Red Sox dugout, I thought they for sure would be sitting in the opposite dugout to the Yanks come the ALCS. The Angels just came out and took it to them from game 1 and didn't stop until they finished the sweep. Papelbon missing a save opportunity? Not being able to convert and allowing ER's? I wonder what the Red Sox Nation is going to do now that their beloved Red Sox are heading into hibernation. You think Epstein is going to go ape shit and buy up some free agents. In my opinion, not likely. They have some core guys that should compete for years to come. Too bad the Yanks do too.