Clueless Joe Has A Clue
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by JasonComack
Cluess Joe Has A Clue
From Your Friends at The Third String Saftey
The now infamous "Clueless" Joe mantra was given to Joe Torre upon his arrival in 1996. How could a manager, with a history of losing, like Torre turn around the biggest franchise in all of sports? Well the answer was; with ease.
Now after 12 successful seasons in NY Torre's time is up. But, did anyone really expect him to walk away from baseball entirely?
Even though Torre turned down the Yankees joke of a contract offer he still wanted to manage.
Torre turned down the Yankees offer for one simple reason; pride. He was insulted, a man of his stature shouldn't feel like he's playing for his job every week.
I have to say I agree.
Think of your profession. As a tenured teacher I wouldn't expect to be evaluated every week like I would be a new teacher. I wouldn't expect to be canned if my principle didn't like one of my lesson plans.
Torre didn't want the stress of another season spent looking over his shoulder every minute. He didn't want another off-season of endless questions. Torre's no spring chicken, after a while the stress begins to take it's toll.
But there is one thing we know Torre is and that's smart. Torre is walking into a great situation in L.A. He's taking over a big market team, in a weak division, loaded with talent. He's primed to add another Pennant to his growing collection.
Let's look at this Dodger team.
The immediate strength you notice is two fold. Young talent and pitching depth.
The rotation for next year has the potential to be among the best in the league with out adding any pieces. Penny, the ace of the staff, is coming off a Cy-Young worthy year. He's locked up at a discount rate for the next two years (2/17.25.) Behind him you have Lowe, who's 12-14 record certainly didn't match his 3.88 ERA and his 1.27 WHIP. Chad Billingsley, who at 23, posted a 12-5 record 3.331 ERA certainly will improve. Behind the big three they have Esteban Loaiza, who they added towards the end of last year. He had some solid and some horrid starts but should benefit from a full off-season with the club.
They also having Jason Schmidt returning from injury. Who, according to rotowrold.com should be ready for spring training. Sure, he's a wild card. He could be an ace or he could be a total flop and get hurt again. But, the key is this team is only counting on him to be a 4th 5th starter. Anything else is gravy.
Also for people who gush over baseball prospectus like I do, they have this kid Clayton Kershaw who's a phenomenon. He might be the best prospect in all of baseball.
And while I'm gushing let's talk about the Dodgers bullpenn, who Torre is sure to burn out by August. A 1-2 punch in Broxton/Saito is going to give Torre his Joba/Mo. Wait till Ned Coletti announces the Broxton rules
The offense isn't with out holes but it's certainly a talented group. Either, Kemp, Loney and Martin are the young core. Martin, the most established, is one of the best catchers in the game today. Loney, has shown flashes of brilliance and has 30 home run potential. I'd love to see what Kemp could do over the course of a full season, he has star potential.
The rest of the offense is mediocre. Kent still can be a star, but you have to wonder at his age, when he begins to slow down.
Also, this team has alot of money coming off the books. They are rid of Randy Wolf's contract as well as Odalis Perez (They still owed Kansas City 7.5 million in '07.) That's 16 million right there. I think we all know where this is going, A-Rod, cough A-Rod. Wouldn't it be fitting for him to join Joe in LA to stick it to Yankee fans even more?
He seems to be a perfect fit in L.A. and they could definitely afford him. He certainly would make a very good lineup, devastating.
It seems the biggest problem with this Dodgers team is a club house divide. If that's the case than Dodgers fans can rest easy. Melding egos is what Torre excels at.
This team is poised and Torre is the perfect man to lead them to the promised land.
From us here at The 3SS: Good Luck, Joe. We'll miss you in N.Y.
