The Dodgers Round the Quarter Pole and Some Bits and Pieces in the News
The Dodgers continue to make my "fan life" happy with the best record in baseball. After a little stumble right after Manny began his suspension (which also figured to happen regardless since they were on a 10 game winning streak), they have continued to play exceptionally well on almost all fronts and have expanded their lead.
Probably the most impressive stat for the Dodgers right now is that they are a +86 in run differential, or more than double the next best team in baseball, the Detriot Tigers who are at a +43. Granted, the Dodgers are playing in the NL West, which outside of Dodgertown is an absolute disaster. To show the problems of the NL West, a good example is the recent 10 game winning streak of the San Diego Padres. A ten game winning streak any time in the season is a good thing, but this early in the year it should really turn a team around. Well, after the streak San Diego managed to pick up only two games on the Dodgers (now they are 8 1/2 games out) and improved their run differential to "only" a -32 which means they are overall a -118 runs already to LA.
I do have to admit that Juan Pierre has played very well and in left field his defensive deficencies don't hurt the team as much. This 50 game stretch he'll play regularly I think will be about right, historically for him, he seems to hit very well but I don't think he has the durability or stamina for the whole season. When Manny comes back on July 4th it should be just in time as Pierre will probably be struggling a little by then. The only thing that is of concern is the over use of the bullpen. Rick Honneycut seems to be helping in one of Joe Torre's singular weakness in managing. But it would be nice to get have the starters get a little deeper. Kuroda should be back sometime in June which will make for a hard decision. Stultz is pitching too well to drop, so probably Eric Milton will go to long relief. If I had to guess I would think that Guillermo Mota might be traded or released when that happens. He's been the least helpful pitcher out of the bullpen all season.
After sweeping the Rockies (who really have bullpen problems, among other things and will probably help make Clint Hurdle the next managerial casualty of the season) the Dodgers have a big four game series with the Chicago Cubs. This will be a really good test for LA. While they did sweep the Mets and take a series from Philadelphia, LA really needs to show that they can have the same success they are enjoying against some better teams. While the Cubs have been injury prone and have been treading water in a very competitive NL Central, they are still a very good team and I think by the end of the season will win that division.
Some Items in the News:
- Amazingly there is still some sanity here in California. The economic destroying initiatives failed in the special election (except the one that doesn't allow the legislature to give itself pay raises in deficit budget years). Hopefully, although I doubt it, Sacramento will wake up and realize that increasing taxes to continue to fund all of their programs and comissions simply won't work. Raising taxes to the point that large companies like Apple Computer are apparently giving some thought to moving out of the state is a recipe to kill what is left of the state's economic foundation.
- Propsition 8 was upheld by the California Supreme Court (which I was always certain would happen as there were much larger issues at stake in the plaintiffs arguement). The Gay Rights lobby is now pretty much forced to get an initiative on the ballot in the 2010 election cycle to try and overturn the proposition. That seems like an entirely uphill battle but this is California.
- President Obama nominated a Hispanic woman to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. The thing that bothers me is a statement she made. The nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, a sitting justice on the 2nd Circuit Court, stated, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Reversing the ethnic roles, if a while male had made a similar statement, he would have already been forced to withdraw his nomination. She will probably be confirmed and then interestingly enough join the Supreme Court which has overturned a large number of the opinions that she has written.
- The one good thing that may come of North Korea's exceptionally eccentric behavior of late, is that more and more people will see the United Nations and their resolutions as utterly worthless. North Korea tests a nuclear bomb, tests fires missles; all in violation of existing resolutions, and the current response by the UN is to draft another resolution. This makes as much sense as something I saw in Texas on my recent vacation. Driving along I-10 I saw signs every few miles telling people that state law required drivers to obey traffic signs!
- The gentleman appointed to the Senate Seat in Illinois, Senator Burris, has now been clearly shown to have been less than truthful in his testimony regarding the impeached governor that appointed him. Wiretaps were ordered released by the federal judge in the case that show Burris did lobby the govenor for the appointment and was clearly engaging in the "pay to play" politics that cost the governor his job. This whole affair has been a disaster for the democrats, but since they need his vote in the senate, it remains to be seen if Senator Reid and his associates will allow the ethics hearing that is needed to proceed.
- The last little bit of news is that the democrats in Congress are giving some thought to a national sales tax or as it is known in Europe a VAT or Value Added Tax. Even allowing this to have serious discussion in Congress should be enough for voters to become enraged enough to make the off-year elections in 2010 an opportunity for the Republicans to pick up a lot of seats.
Ah well, the summer should be interesting