A month or so ago there was nobody on the Dodger blogs saying, hey let's go get Shane Victorino.
The idea seemed repulsive to most. Can't say I liked the idea because of Shane's punkish nature. But one person said he was the right guy and the Dodgers would trade for him. Come on down VietnamDodger. VND says she's a young doctor from San Francisco doing research in Vietnam. OK, I know, it's the Internet. Let's go with it for now.
Anyway, it wasn't just someone's lame idea tossed out like a thousand others. She had the WHYS. The Whys are so often not a part of the one-dimensional Stat Boy lexicon. They rather just throw down a stat line and claim that number answers all of Man's questions on Earth.
Her Why amounted to this: left field, lead off, speed, defense, cheap, fills a giant black hole, Phillies going bust and the kind of player the Dodgers need.
VietnamDodger runs around with a bunch of Stat Boys at Tragic Illness. The Stat Boys rained down on poor VietnamDodger. No way they said. With their best scientific argument being, We Don't Like Him. Predictable Stat Boys. They call you a dumbass when you don't buy their advanced metric "luck" stat or whatever but if it's something they don't have a number for they go all, We Don't Like Him. Picture a whiny boy's chorus.
On July 13th I bought in to VietnamDodger's idea. Wrote about it here. It made perfect sense. It was the logical outcome.
The Stat Boys hated the idea so much they actually said they preferred Alfonso Soriano. Yes, the same people who go on and on about the picking-up-lame-contract-dead-horse, wanted to pay Soriano for two more years after this. Cute aren't they.
Never was Chase Headley going to be traded to the Dodgers. Never was Cole Hamels going to be traded to the Dodgers. Never was Justin Upton going to be traded to the Dodgers. On and On. But VietnamDodger had the Shane deal pegged artfully and early. And she never backed down. She needs to move to a better neighborhood.
THE DEMPSTER PROBLEM
The Dodgers did well at the trading deadline but it may have all gone for not because they made the stupid mistake of not getting Mr. Dempster from the Cubs. I guess the testosterone between the two teams just got so thick that no one could be the better man and make the deal happen.
So you fix the offense, improve your bullpen but leave a gaping hole in your starting pitching. WTF. The Dodgers could still win the division with what they have but going into the playoffs, WTF.
Maybe one of the minor league pitchers will suddenly grow up. Maybe Barney Fife discovers that missing 95 mph fastball that Keith Law says he has. Maybe C Bills' trend towards challenging the strike zone keeps moving forward. Maybe Rubby de la rosa will be thrown into the fire after all and survive. Any of these could happen.
But why wait for miracles if you don't have too. Hanley is not going to carry the Dodgers single-handedly through the playoffs or anywhere else for that matter.
Clown Mistake.
Jonah Keri's Take On The Shane Trade
You can read it right here.
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