Kuzul

As the Hot Stove heats up and the weather cools down, names are flying around like bugs on Joba Chamberlain. 

Among the more notable ideas is the Dodgers’ interest in Brandon Webb. Los Angeles has already re-signed Ted Lilly and Hiroki Kuroda to new contracts, leaving just one spot left in what could be a very solid starting rotation.

So far, early returns suggest the rotation will look something like this: Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and either Vicente Padilla or Brandon Webb.

The Dodgers appear close to signing Webb, as there is a significant difference between the dollar figure and years Padilla is looking for and what LA is willing to offer.

Looking at the two pitchers side-by-side, there are small pros, and major cons for both.

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As a college kid I once drove to Southern California with my soccer team buddies. 

We had a very difficult and grueling two-week season-opening training camp to prepare for, so we decided to pack all five of us into my small Toyota Corolla, and we headed down to Santa Cruz to prepare.

Five guys with five soccer balls across the back window as we drove.

Two weeks later, anxious and homesick, we drove all night.  And I’ll never forget that last corner driving north on the I-5 freeway by Boeing field.  When you make that turn and first see the tall buildings of downtown Seattle with the Olympics in the background, the exuberance never fails!  You know you are finally home.

The soothing tones of Dave Niehaus had that same kind of magic. 

When you heard him weaving words together like an artist, transforming an average baseball game into a majestic masterpiece, you knew you were home.   

His voice was like no other, describing baseball for the Seattle Mariners like nobody else can, or ever will again.

He was our friend.  He felt like our father.  Our childhood pal who we stole away with, late at night when our moms thought we were sleeping. 

His was the voice heard while painting a deck, or floating on a boat during a warm summer night on Lake Washington. 

He made the woeful Seattle Mariners more than just a baseball team.  He made them feel like family.

And he was there, each summer, each game.  Always there.

We all knew the news of this past Wednesday was coming. After all, he was 75 years old. But like any beloved family member, none of us were ready for him to be gone and we certainly were not ready when he left.

The most talented and unique personality in Seattle sports history has passed, leaving a hole in the hearts of so many.

There really is nothing else to say that hasn’t already been mentioned.  So rather than try, let’s have Dave himself do what he did for so many years. 

This is not a clip of a famous play.  This is just an average game on an average summer night, recorded during a meaningless extra-inning game almost two decades ago. 

Playing the Chicago White Sox as my then young family rode the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle, he made average games more than just baseball. 

Dave Neihaus’s brilliance was in how he made the routine special.

Over the past four decades every one of us heard hundreds of games just like this one.  While approaching Seattle in the car, or from far-off corners of the state, Niehaus brought the game to life with enthusiasm and clarity, as if every one was game seven in the World Series.  

Thus the best call ever made by Dave Niehaus, was the one he made every single day during four decades of baseball seasons. 

It will never be the same listening to a Seattle Mariners game now that’s he’s gone!  

(If for any reason the embedded clip fails to show, you can still find the video here.)

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Among his dozens of cluttered notepads and hundreds of files containing scouting reports of players across Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti has the beginnings of an Opening Day roster plan stirring in the back of his mind.

Since the moment Colletti and team owner Frank McCourt announced a potential increased payroll budget for 2011, fans throughout Dodgertown have been imagining both the best and worst possible scenarios for the upcoming season.

Names such as Cliff Lee, Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford, Victor Martinez and Jayson Werth have been the talk of Tinseltown, yet with several minor tweaks and a few key additions, the Dodgers may not need to break the bank or sell the farm to once again emerge as contenders in the NL West.

On paper, the Boys in Blue weren’t as bad as their 2010 record suggested. However, problems with ownership, hostility within the coaching staff, and turmoil in the clubhouse created a negative chemistry which led to one of the more disappointing seasons in recent Dodgers history.

Colletti and new Los Angeles skipper Don Mattingly have been carefully assembling a coaching staff with all of the team’s best interests in mind, and with the proper bonding and a bit of luck, the Dodgers may create the exact type of locker room atmosphere which the squad desperately needs.

Of course, there are literally thousands of roster possibilities for next year, and a number of MLB experts and analysts are already tossing around names of players who may be taking the field at Chavez Ravine on Opening Day.

The following slides highlight seven bold predictions for the Dodgers’ Opening Day squad, offer a brief commentary for each and suggest a starting lineup against the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants on April 1.

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The offseason for the Florida Marlins has been quite a whirlwind and it a surprise twist blew the Marlins way when Dan Uggla stunned the front office be rejecting a four year, $48 million extension. This past season, Uggla had career highs in batting average (.287), home runs (33) and RBIs (105) with a steady salary of $7.8 million. 

Why would Dan Uggla reject the Marlins offer? For starters, Dan Uggla has essentially raised the bar on power hitting second basemen by hitting 30 home runs in four consecutive seasons, no second baseman has done that in the history of baseball, not even Chase Utley or Jeff Kent have accomplished that feat. 

The Florida Marlins are also hesitant to offer a long-term deal to a player whose production might begin to decline. Dan Uggla will be 31 by Opening Day and if he gets his way will be 36 by the end of the five year deal, something the Marlins want to avoid considering Uggla isn’t great with the glove at second. Uggla is expected to earn $10 million + in 2011 and gradually rise for the next few seasons of his contract. 

While these contract talks are akin to the Josh Johnson fiasco of the last offseason, Johnson is four years younger than Uggla at 26 and the Marlins are tend to shy away from offering long-term deals to players who are over 30. 

At the end of the day, I expect the Marlins to get a deal done with Dan Uggla just because this is the last thing the front office needs a season prior to the opening of their new stadium, bad publicity and another infamous jettison of a cornerstone player, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are prime examples. 

 If a deal gets done, expect for the fifth-year to include somewhere in the neighborhood of a mutual option or a vesting option which would give Uggla his dough if he achieves certain seasonal milestones. 

But what if nothing gets done? Here are five possible trade destinations for Dan Uggla if the Marlins deem Uggla out of their range..

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When considering the quality of players on both the trading block and free agent market, starting pitcher Zack Greinke undoubtedly would be a perfect fit for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As the MLB Hot Stove is just beginning to heat up, there’s really not much movement expected from the Dodgers, at least until Judge Scott Gordon reveals his decision in the McCourt divorce case.

Still, it’s very important that Los Angeles remain active in preparing their roster for 2011, as there are several key dates approaching within the next four weeks.

The annual General Managers Meetings will be held in Orlando on November 16 and 17 followed by the Owners Meetings a day later. Among other things, these meetings act as an icebreaker of sorts to test the waters of the upcoming trade market.

The highlight of the Major League Baseball offseason is the Winter Meetings, which this year will be held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida from December 6-9. The Winter Meetings normally produce a handful of blockbuster player deals that set the stage for the remainder of the trade season.

Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti has already stated that he will be seeking out both a power bat and a quality starting pitcher to improve the Dodgers’ roster heading into 2011, and for such moves to be productive, it’s critical that Colletti be aggressive during these upcoming meetings in Florida.

In terms of upgrading the offense, there are quite a few potential moves that could be made. However, in the starting pitching department, one name seems like it would be an excellent match—Kansas City Royals righty Zack Greinke.

The Royals have already stated that they are prepared to move Greinke if the deal is right, and if the Dodgers are able to put together a proposal that is beneficial for both teams, Los Angeles would immediately boast a pitching staff that would be considered among the best in the National League.

With Greinke, the Dodgers would be acquiring a former All-Star and Cy Young Award winner, and at only 27 years of age, he shows that he can still light up the radar by touching 96 mph with his heater. When his slider is working properly, it almost makes opposing batters dizzy, and his 70 mph curveball comes out of his hand looking like a fastball.

His best assets are that he commands all his pitches extremely well to both sides of the plate and does not show a recognizable pitch pattern.

Outside of a few problems in 2006 and early in 2007, Greinke has been very durable. Over the course of the past three years Greinke has proved his endurance by recording at least 200 innings pitched per season

Greinke’s salary for 2011 will be just over $13.5 million, which is almost identical to what the Dodgers paid Hiroki Kuroda in 2010. It is still unknown whether or not the Dodgers will offer Kuroda, 35, a contract to return next year.

Kansas City will likely need to be swept off their feet when talking a potential deal, yet when preparing a package, the Dodgers may find it very difficult to present an offer to the Royals’ liking.

Sure, there’s Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, but with Colletti already identifying the power department as a weakness, there’s little chance that he will sacrifice what little deep threat the Dodgers already have.

Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw aren’t going anywhere either, and Ted Lilly’s new contract suggests that he’s part of the Dodgers’ long-term plan.

Then there’s first baseman James Loney, who is still being criticized for a lack of power. Many still speculate, however, that with the right hitting coach, Loney will flourish in a hurry. With his glove already being among the best in the Majors, Loney could quickly become a star player if his long ball skills finally blossom.

Loney may not be attractive to the Royals, however. Kansas City boasts much pride in Billy Butler, their 24-year-old first baseman who is almost a clone of Loney—sans the defense. Butler hit .318 with 15 home runs, 45 doubles, 78 RBI and an .857 OPS in 2010.

The Royals seem set with the closer role as well with Joakim Soria. Soria recorded 43 saves for the Royals this year while posting a 1.78 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Unless Kansas City wanted to use him as a setup man, Jonathan Broxton may not even be a valuable bargaining chip.

Rafael Furcal falls under the criteria for the 5/10 rule and probably wouldn’t approve a trade to Kansas City anyway.

Casey Blake and Jamey Carroll are both past their prime playing days and seem like unlikely choices for a team wanting to build with youth.

Having acquired catcher Lucas May from the Dodgers just before the 2010 trade deadline, the Royals seem content with their positioning behind the dish.

So what’s left?

The already sparse and very young Los Angeles Dodgers farm system.

Although very thin and unproven, the Dodgers’ system boasts about a dozen gems that any team around baseball would be willing to snatch in a hurry.

In the pitching department, Chris Withrow, Aaron Miller, Ethan Martin and Allen Webster are very highly regarded by many scouts around the Majors. In terms of position players, Xavier Paul, Devaris “Dee” Gordon, Ivan DeJesus, Jerry Sands, Kyle Russell, Leon Landry and Trayvon Robinson headline an elite group of future stars.

So the question looms: Is Ned Colletti willing to potentially sacrifice the future of the Dodgers in an attempt to make Los Angeles contenders in 2011?

All that being said, before any possible deal begins to take shape, Zack Greinke’s no-trade clause may prevent any type of deal with the Dodgers from occurring. As early as the weekend, Greinke is expected to let the Royals know the eight to 10 teams that he has decided with whom to block a trade.

Nevertheless, it shouldn’t prevent Colletti from getting busy. Ned needs to be at his absolute best this offseason if the Dodgers have any hope whatsoever of improving on a very dismal 2010.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The ghosts of opportunities lost can swirl and haunt in an instant, and any temptation for the San Francisco Giants or their fans to look ahead to an assumed World Series title must be stifled.

As Giants fans tingle with the anticipation of a clinching opportunity tonight in Game 5 of the 2010 World Series, the demons of the 2002 World Series are on-deck and ready to swarm.

These ghosts hold permanent residence in the collective memory of all Giants fans.  One need only ask if the name “Scott Spiezio” means anything to a Giants fan, and the resulting expression alone from your victim should aid in clearing up any confusion.

That is, if you don’t get punched first.    

Unfortunately, there is no shelf life attached to the lost moments and horrible memories connected to the recent history of the San Francisco Giants and the World Series.  

I can close my eyes right now and see Dusty Baker handing the ball to Russ Ortiz.  I can remember the 5-run lead in the 7^th inning, and the red noisemakers clanged by the Anaheim Angel fans.  I remember being eight outs away, and slapping fives with my buddies.  I remember watching the rally monkey on the screen, and wishing hateful things.  I remember Brendan Donnelly in his goggles striking out seemingly everybody, and then Mr. Spiezo and his bleached hair, hitting a 3-run bomb that changed the entire complexion of the Series.  

Finally, the very next evening, I remember the Angels beating us and becoming the 2002 World Series Champions.    

It was eight years ago, but that collapse is all there for me in vivid, mental color whenever I don’t want it.  It stings, and is as accessible as the memory of being dumped in the Mountain View Tower Records parking lot by my high school girlfriend.  

Yes, the parking lot.       

As for past gut punches, I can’t accurately speak to the sinking emotions surrounding the 1962 World Series for the older generation of Giants fans, because I never had to live through it.  For anyone witnessing Willie McCovey line out to Bobby Richardson that afternoon at Candlestick Park, the finality of it must have been overwhelming.

By all accounts, McCovey crushed the ball, one that a foot to either side of Richardson would have probably scored Willie Mays from second base with the Series-winning run for the Giants.  Instead, that same crowd, who only a half-second before had been rising to their feet anticipating history, were now cut down where they stood.  

Any visions of Market Street parades that day, lost forever to the sight of a New York Yankees celebration on the Candlestick infield. 

It must have been truly awful, but that is as far as I want to take it.  Any further conjecture risks being disrespectful to the fans in attendance, as well as those listening to Lon Simmons on radios all around the Bay Area that day in 1962.  Any more personal musings risk being callous to the pain those fans probably carry in their hearts to this very day, some 48 years later. 

That said, with 2002 as stirring in my own mind, I think I can at least relate.

Like all true sports fans, Giants fans love deeply and without remorse.  We attach the same elevated meaning in our lives to clutch hits as we do tape-measure homeruns that put us ahead.  We lionize twenty-something catchers and pitchers, and lose our minds when a second baseman climbs the ladder to snowcone-grab a liner.  

The haunting phantoms thrive in this passion, and are all too ready to delight in bringing the pain of lost chances and failed glory to the very forefront of our minds for another five decades.  The one thing, the only thing, that can render these demons powerless, is when we believe without assumption, and support without any expectation. 

The Giants have an excellent chance tonight to end over 50 years of futility—a chance.  Should that unbelievably sweet event happen, and the San Francisco Giants actually win the 2010 World Series, the very first since moving West, and the very first title for an amazing city, only then will all suffering Giants fans be able to collectively exorcise the nagging ghosts of our history.    

The vast amount of space that those awful ghosts heretofore occupied in our minds, now replaced with an amazing and permanent memory that can be cherished, recounted and retold until the day we die. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Before the 2010 World Series began last night, the common consensus was the San Francisco Giants had to score more to have a chance of winning the World Series.

The Giants pitching staff is excellent, but could they win a slugfest against the offensive prowess of the Texas Rangers?

Game 1 was labeled as an all-time pitching showdown. The matchup between Texas Rangers ace Cliff Lee and the San Francisco Giants two-time defending NL Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum was billed as a classic to be.

However Game 1 was an offensive battle, and the Giants proved they could win a game when they needed to score many more runs than their accustomed to.

With Cliff Lee not able to get the victory for the Rangers in the series opener, how good are the Rangers’ chances to win the title now, against a Giants rotation that continues to impress after Lincecum?

Now we’ll review several important points we learned about Game 1 of the 2010 World Series, as well as some interesting, unknown statistics that may surprise you.

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Piece by piece, the 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers coaching staff is slowly coming together, and within the next few weeks, general manager Ned Colletti is expected to confirm all reports and make an official announcement about who will be working under new skipper Don Mattingly next season.

Ken Davidoff, a national baseball writer for Newsday, reported on Tuesday that pitching coach Rick Honeycutt has agreed to return to Los Angeles for a fifth season.

Honeycutt will presumably be joined by new third base coach Tim Wallach, who was recently eliminated as a candidate for the Milwaukee Brewers‘ managing vacancy.

Several weeks ago, Wallach agreed to a contract to become the Dodgers‘ bench coach or third base coach, as long as he didn’t land a managerial position with another Major League club. Outside of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Brewers were the only team to contact the Dodgers and ask permission to interview Wallach. Toronto wasn’t on the list of teams that Wallach was permitted to talk with, as specified in the contract.

According to Ken Gurnick of Dodgers.com, former Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman has emerged as the favorite to become Don Mattingly’s first bench coach. Mattingly had been campaigning for Larry Bowa to stay on with the Dodgers in the role of bench coach, but it is assumed Colletti wasn’t comfortable with Mattingly’s decision.

Bowa, along with last year’s bench coach Bob Schaefer, have recently confirmed that they will not be returning to Los Angeles next season.

Hillman was fired on May 13 of this year after managing the Royals for just over two seasons. Prior to managing in Kansas City, he was the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. In 2006, Hillman guided the Ham Fighters to their first Pacific League championship title in over 25 years.

Jeff Pentland, who last year was the Dodgers’ secondary hitting instructor at Camelback Ranch, will be named as the new Los Angeles batting coach. Before being hired by the Dodgers, Pentland worked as the batting coach for the Chicago Cubs (1997-2002), the Kansas City Royals (2003-2005) and the Seattle Mariners (2005-2008).

Former Major League slugger Chili Davis will assume Pentland’s previous position while Dodger great Manny Mota will continue his role as a hitting instructor.

According to a number of sources, Ken Howell is expected to return as bullpen coach despite more than several implosions by Dodger relievers over the course of the 2010 season.

Additional sources are reporting that current first base coach Mariano Duncan has been told to pursue other interests, although there may be a spot available for him coaching in the Dodgers’ farm system if he decides to pursue that route.

Most new managers are permitted to assemble a coaching staff on their own after being hired by a Major League club, but since 2011 is Mattingly’s first year managing and due to the tumultuous state of the franchise, Colletti has decided to intervene to ensure that all the proper moves are made.

If Mattingly doesn’t fare particularly well in his initial season as manager of the Dodgers, it’s already been suggested that he can utilize the excuse of not being able to put together the staff underneath him by himself.

Right now, however, the first task at hand must be to focus on assembling a competitive roster and building positive momentum heading into spring workouts.

In other management news, Dodger fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Assistant General Manager and Scouting Director Logan White will be returning to Los Angeles next season. White was being considered as the new general manager for the New York Mets, but was eliminated as a candidate for the position late last week.

White is described as the “heart and soul” of the Los Angeles scouting system by many who are familiar with the Dodgers organization.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Over the last several years, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ management team of owner Frank McCourt and general manager Ned Colletti have utilized the deferred contract option as a tactic to bring in numerous big name players with highly valued contracts—without paying much up front.

Looking back at several of the players who were still part of the Dodgers payroll in 2010, and who will be receiving paychecks from McCourt into the future, there’s no doubt that many of the deals have failed miserably.

There’s no way of telling exactly what position Frank McCourt is in financially, and just to be competitive, the club may be forced to continue to back-load contracts and pay players deferred cash long after they leave Los Angeles.

Nevertheless, as the 2010 campaign came to an end, some relief began to appear. Six players who were on the team payroll this season, yet never suited up in Dodger Blue, have finally received their last paycheck from Los Angeles. Now, these funds can finally be utilized to fill in a number of gaps on the player roster.

Left-handed starting pitcher Ted Lilly was recently signed to a three-year, $33 million deal, and although the contract was back-loaded, surprisingly no deferred payments exist that will need to be made once the contract expires. This could be a positive sign for the Dodgers, as Colletti and McCourt finally may be realizing how costly several of these deals actually were.

Still, the offseason is young, and the verdict is out on McCourt and Colletti. It’s already been announced that the team payroll will be increased, but it’s unknown by how much. Yet it is possible that with all the right moves, the Dodgers may find themselves in a position to improve upon a very dreadful year.

The following slides show all nine players who weren’t part of the team in 2010 yet still received paychecks signed by McCourt. Several are finally cleared from the payroll, and while a few will continue to be paid into the future, there is a bit of relief in sight in terms of overall dollars. 

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Cheating, betting, and scandals have been a part of sports ever since the beginning, whether it’s to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent, rake in some extra cash, or a temptation that was just too hard to resist.

The only thing worse than all of those things, though, is lying about it. Sooner or later the truth will come out, and when it does, get ready.

These 10 sports figures lied to millions of fans, and are worthy of being named the top 10 liars in sports history.

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