Final thoughts on boys in blue

I'm a baseball fan who has never booed anyone playing the game.

I've yelled and booed at umpires but that's part of the game.

Anybody who has ever played the game realizes how hard it is and when things go wrong then things go wrong and that's baseball. Sometimes it is so strange how wrong things can go that there is no reason to even think about.

Rafael Furcal does not need to drop his head in shame after making three errors in one inning.
He is such a good shortstop and overcame so much this season (including BACK SURGERY) that he simply needs to look at that strange inning as a freak inning...and probably caused by some voodoo fan in Philly.

I honestly think the Dodgers should resign him...keeping in mind how he performed before his back problems, which no longer exist because of the surgery. The fact that he was even playing at the end of the season shows his true warrior mentality.

BRING BACK RAFFY

Brad Penny needs to hit the highway. It has nothing to do with him being hurt...it has to do with him being present during the playoffs. I don't obviously know all the inner workings behind the scenes but if you are being paid $ 15 million dollars then you need to be with the team...unless you are in hospital.

SAY GOODBYE TO BRAD

Jeff Kent struck out in his last at bat for Dodgers and it was a horrible call. The ball was almost in the dirt. I can't believe that he would still want to play in Los Angeles because he is a Texas boy and the truth is...the dude can still hit and perhaps a final year or two with the Texas Rangers would be the best thing for Jeff Kent.

I am extremely thankful that he played in LA and no matter what people thought of his personality...he always came to play...and on top of that he is a first round Hall of Famer and
we were lucky to have him.

SAY GOODBYE AND THANK YOU TO JEFF KENT

GREG MADDUX SHOULD BE HIRED AS A PLAYER COACH

Nobody knows more about pitching and the Dodgers have some young arms that need Greg to be around...and he can still throw.
I like Rick Honneycutt as pitching coach but there could be a new position on the team as his assistant and that position should be filled by Greg Maddux.

BEG GREG TO STAY IN SOME CAPACITY

NOMAR SHOULD SIMPLY TELL THE DODGERS THAT HE PLANS ON WORKING FOR THEM UNTIL THE DAY HE LEAVES TO VISIT THE GREAT DODGER IN THE SKY.

NOMAR MIGHT BE THE FRIENDLIEST PLAYER IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL...AND HE MIGHT BE ONE OF THE SMARTEST. HE WILL BE A MAJOR LEAGUE MANAGER AND PROBABLY HAVE A MANAGERIAL CAREER EVEN MORE DISTINGUISHED THAN HIS PLAYING CAREER...WHICH I DON'T THINK IS OVER.

IF HE CAME BACK TO THE DODGERS FOR A REDUCED NUMBER, SAY LIKE $ 5 MILLION A YEAR...HE WOULD BE A BARGIN. THE GUY CAN PLAY ANYWHERE AND WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT HE HAS BEEN INJURY PRONE IT'S STILL NOT EASY TO FIND A PLAYER OF HIS CALIBER THAT LOVES PLAYING IN LA...AND IS A HOME TOWN BOY.
HE IS ON THE EDGE OF BEING A HALL OF FAMER AND I THINK HE HAS A FEW MORE HEROICS UP HIS SLEAVE.

IT'S NOT A SECRET THAT NOMAR IS MY FAVORITE PERSONALITY ON THE TEAM. WATCHING HIM TALK TO OPPOSING PLAYERS WHEN THEY GET TO FIRST BASE IS ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN.

DO ANYTHING TO RESIGN NOMAR

AND NOMAR...MAKE IT EASY FOR THE DODGERS TO SIGN YOU

I don't know what you do about Juan Pierre...nice guy...good player...but it looks like a trade for a pitcher.

The Derek Lowe situation is probably the strangest.

Derek Lowe should get whatever he wants and most likely he will get whatever he wants but it doesn't appear to be something that will happen with the Dodgers.

The rumors have Derek not wanting to play anymore in LA and the rumors say he doesn't feel like he was appreciated.

THAT'S INSANE DEREK. YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR AND EASILY THE MOST RESPECTED PITCHER ON THE STAFF. THE FANS SIMPLY RELIED ON YOU TO ALWAYS BE THERE AND ALWAYS GIVE IT YOUR BEST. WE MIGHT HAVE TAKEN YOU FOR GRANTED BECAUSE YOU JUST DID YOUR JOB...BUT PLEASE NOTE THE REAL FANS OF DODGER BASEBALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT TO WERE TO THE DODGER TEAM AND IF YOU DO DECIDE THAT YOU WOULD RATHER PLAY SOMEWHERE ELSE, THEN WE WILL MISS YOU...BUT YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS WHO, IF AND WHEN YOU WOULD RETURN TO DODGER STADIUM IN ANOTHER UNIFORM...... WOULD RECEIVE A STANDING OVATION.

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TREMENDOUS EFFORTS AND I WOULD PREFER TO SEE YOU RETURN TO DODGER STADIUM IN A DODGER UNIFORM...BUT IF NOT...THAT'S BASEBALL.

TRY TO SHOW DEREK THAT HE IS APPRECIATED

JOE TORRE....it's obvious that Joe brings a certain calmness to the club...but he needed to utilize the veterans more during the playoffs and learn to move guys around when things aren't working. There was too much pressure on some of the kids and Joe should have seen it...but the young talent is great and I'm sure he thought they would respond...AND THAT'S ANOTHER ASPECT OF BASEBALL THAT NEVER GETS MENTIONED.

THE HUNCH THAT DOESN'T WORK OUT

JOE SHOULD BE EVEN BETTER NEXT YEAR...because he will have his hitting coach for the entire season.

FRANK McCOURT SHOULD MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO BE THE WEST COAST VERSION OF THE YANKEES AND BOSTON. HE SHOULD SPEND AS MUCH AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE AND SIGN MANNY RAMIREZ TO A FOUR YEAR DEAL WORTH $90 MILLION DOLLARS.

THAT SEEMS FAIR FOR WHAT MANNY BRINGS TO THE DANCE.

FOUR YEARS...$22.5 A YEAR...AND LET HIM HAVE ACCESS TO THE LAUTNER BEACH HOUSE THAT HE BOUGHT FROM COURTNEY COX FOR $33 MILLION DOLLARS.
and if he has to go to $100 million to beat out the Yankees then he needs to do it.

PARKING CAN BE RAISED TO $25
BEERS CAN BE RAISED TO $15 A PIECE and should be when you read about the goof balls getting drunk and fighting and somehow making Dodger games like Raider games.
THE PREMIUM SEATS BEHIND HOME COULD BE RAISED TO $1000.
EVERYTHING COULD BE BRANDED
EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE NAME....DODGER STADIUM

LOS ANGELES IS THE NUMBER TWO MARKET IN THE COUNTRY AND COULD BE THE NUMBER ONE MARKET WITH A FEW MORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AND MANNY IS THE MAN WHO CAN HELP MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

MAKE MANNY STAY AND DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER

Besides all that off season stuff that we have nothing to do with...I want to thank the Dodgers for their most successful season in 20 years.

IT WAS FUN

Michael Timothy McAlevey