Kuzul

For the 62nd spring, Vin Scully will pull up a chair and call games for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Scully announced Sunday that he will return for the 2011 season on a one-year contract and keep his normal schedule with the Dodgers, which consists of calling all home games plus road games against National League West opponents.

“I’m just honored and humbled to continue my association with the Dodgers, which has been a major part of my life,” Scully said in a statement.

There was speculation before the season started whether this would be Scully’s last year in the broadcast booth. He almost didn’t make it to this season.

During spring training, Scully was hospitalized after falling in his home and hitting his head on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night.

Scully has cut back his work schedule in recent years, working on a year-to-year basis and traveling less. He wants to spend more time at home with his wife, he says.

Scully could walk away and be strictly a family man now if he wanted because he doesn’t need the Dodgers, he doesn’t need the notoriety, and he probably doesn’t need the money.

But Scully is coming back because he loves what he does, and that means everything to the Dodgers. The Dodgers need him more than ever.

Scully gives the Dodgers an identity. He gives fans a reason to click on the TV every night and listen in.

It’s time for Dodger baseball only because Scully says it is.

With the Dodgers in a time of change—from manager to players to potentially new owners—Scully is the one thing that connects this era’s team with the boys from Brooklyn and ’88. He has seen and called all of it.

Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series? Scully called it. Kirk Gibson’s walk-off homer in Game 1 of the ’88 World Series? Scully called it. A Sandy Koufax perfect game and a Fernando Valenzuela no-no? Those were Scully’s, too.

As current owner Frank McCourt tries to settle a divorce with his wife and former co-owner, Jamie, Dodgers fans have watched the club play lifeless baseball and sink to the cellar of the NL West.

Los Angeles is a club of young, talented guys with no clear direction. There’s no leadership in L.A., nobody to challenge the team and tell them how the Dodgers are expected to play.

Manny Ramirez has the talent and the pedigree to be that guy, but it’s hard to demand respect when you milk a calf injury on the DL while continuing to collect millions and count down to free agency.

Casey Blake has the professionalism and character to lead a team, but rarely does a role player take on that job.

Matt Kemp has all the ability in the world but for whatever reason hasn’t figured out how to play up to his ability on a consistent basis.

At times, Kemp carries himself with a sense of entitlement that is sometimes seen with superstars. Kemp can be a superstar, but he’s not there yet.

The list of issues runs deep on this team.

It used to be that Tommy Lasorda would march down to the clubhouse and light a fire under players he thought weren’t performing up to their capabilities.

A few years ago when Brad Penny pitched for the Dodgers, Lasorda grew tired of watching Penny, who was supposed to be the Dodgers ace, continually struggle to get out of the sixth inning during his starts.

Penny had great stuff, but the Dodgers weren’t getting the most out of him.

Lasorda went down to the clubhouse and asked Penny if there was anything wrong with him.

“It’s a different era, Tommy,” Penny said, clearly content with turning in his five or six innings of work and hitting the showers.

Lasorda, disgusted and struggling to come up with a response, simply looked at Penny and said, “A new era, my ass!”

But Lasorda is slowing down, too. His presence isn’t as felt throughout the organization, his voice not quite as boisterous.

Once Scully leaves, the Dodgers are going to have to ask a simple question: Who are we?

For the first time since the organization moved to Los Angeles, the answer is unclear. The Dodgers are a proud franchise with loads of tradition, but tradition needs to be carried on.

If Scully isn’t calling games and the Dodgers aren’t winning, what reason will there be to watch them play? The most prestigious baseball team in the country’s second-largest market won’t have anything of substance to sell to its fan base.

That’s almost unfathomable, but it’s reality now in L.A.

The ownership issue will need to be resolved before the Dodgers can move forward and build a team capable of returning to the World Series.

It would behoove them to do that while Scully is still around and keeping fans watching, if only for nostalgia’s sake.

When Vinny is gone, there will be nobody to tell us, “Lets get back to this one.”

Follow Teddy Mitrosilis on Twitter. You can reach him at tm4000@yahoo.com.

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Oh, Roger.

Love him or hate him, the news that Roger Clemens is being (it is hard to even type it out) indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs is down-right depressing.

There was a time when the baseball viewing public was being forced to ask themselves:

“Could Roger Clemens be ready to surpass Walter Johnson as the greatest pitcher of all time?”

As we watch Roger’s reputation and celebrity get flushed down the toilet, perhaps the biggest question surrounding Roger now is:

“Could Roger Clemens be ready to surpass Pete Rose as the greatest fall from grace in baseball history?”

Or perhaps even:

“Is Roger Clemens now officially the biggest star who has no chance of going into the Hall of Fame?”

Let’s have a look.

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Welcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report’s Cleveland Indians fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the club each week throughout the season.

This week we focus on the signing deadline for draft picks and discuss our thoughts on the draftees signed by the Indians, debate whether the MLB slotting system needs an overhaul, and share our thoughts on how much draft position really matters. 

I would like to thank this week’s participants Dale Thomas, Dan Tylicki, and Scott Miles for their contributions. This discussion is open to all, so please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts on the questions we’re addressing this week.

Go Tribe!

1. On Monday, the last day before the signing deadline for draft picks, the Indians pulled out an 11th hour miracle by getting their top three draft picks signed. 

The feat was impressive given that many were speculating that they would only be able to sign perhaps two of the highly regarded picks. Were you impressed that the Tribe was able to pull this off? 

Do you think the three players in question (Drew Pomeranz, 1st rd, $2.65MM, LeVon Washington, 2nd rd, $1.2MM, and Tony Wolters, 3rd rd, $1.35MM) were worth the money? 

Now that the deadline has passed and the Tribe has signed 26 of their 50 draft selections, how would you say the team did in the draft overall this year?

Samantha Bunten: I’m certainly pleased that the team got their top three picks signed, though I’m not sure it was truly as big of an accomplishment as it was made out to be. 

Bonus-wise, these were not expensive players. They got all three signed for less total money than what many early first round picks get as individuals. The total they gave out in bonuses to the top three, mathematically speaking, gave them three players for about half the price of Bryce Harper. 

Seems impressive until you consider that Harper was overpriced and that, in the Indians’ case, you get what you pay for. I’m not saying I think the top three picks were bad selections (I’m particularly fond of Wolters), I just think they might have netted better players if they weren’t so concerned about signability issues. 

True, sometimes it’s wise to avoid such players (first rounders who are Boras clients in particular). But then again, if the Indians track record in the draft over the last 10 years has taught us anything, it’s that playing it safe rarely breeds any sort of concrete, consistent success.

Dale Thomas: Yes, I’m encouraged that the Tribe got their top three signed. I think they did a good job here and overall I’d give them an A- for this year’s draft. 

Actually, I’m most excited by Wolters. Wouldn’t it be great to have a guy that truly loves the game? His hitting will come around, and his defense is already there…and he’s only 18.

Dan Tylicki: I do like that they were signed in the end, though how the third rounder got more than the second rounder I don’t know. I’m not really a big fan of grading MLB drafts—even though I’ve done it myself—mainly because the draft is such a crap shoot that you never really know what’s going to happen. 

Nonetheless, I think they did well based on watching the film of the first three picks. Washington has the tools, he just needs to focus on developing them, as does Wolters. Pomeranz doesn’t have a big hill to climb to be the best starting pitcher we drafted under Shapiro, so he better accomplish that.

Scott Miles: It’s no secret that the Indians have struggled with the draft in recent years. Part of the reason has been bypassing players who had “signability” issues – asking for more money than the team was willing to pay. 

I’m not saying that all three of these players will be stars—you don’t even know if they will reach the big leagues—but it’s very encouraging that the Tribe was able to sign the guys they targeted so highly. So yes, I would say the draft went very well this year.

2. Let’s take a closer look at the Tribe’s top draft pick, first rounder and number five-overall selection Drew Pomeranz.

Now that he’s been signed and we can consider his price along with his talent, do you think he was the right choice for the Tribe in the first round? 

Do you think the Tribe may have prioritized him over another (better player) for signability reasons? If so, do you agree with their decision to do that?

Samantha Bunten: I think Pomeranz was an acceptable choice, but not the ideal one in the first round. But considering the team’s current needs, a top tier college pitcher isn’t a bad pick. 

What I did like about the pick was that the Indians finally appear to be changing their draft strategy from overloading on corner players and power bats to drafting pitchers and athletes who can play up the middle. 

What I don’t like about it has more to do with Pomeranz’s personal weaknesses: he has some command issues, and he’s yet to develop an adequate change-up. That’s fine for a pitcher being drafted out of high school, but a college pitcher should at least have a change up that is on its way to being major league ready, even if it needs some polishing in the minors first. 

That being said, the rest of his repertoire looks pretty good. If he can develop his off-speed stuff and hit his spots consistently, he’ll have very high upside. 

Dale Thomas: I think Pomeranz was a solid pick and the pick the Tribe had to make. He was the SEC pitcher of the year, 9-2 record with good control (139 strikeouts, 49 walks). 

I might have some concerns about his delivery with that big sweeping overhand style. Guys will run on him. Beyond that, I think he has the potential to be a number-one starter. Hopefully he’ll be able to shorten his delivery without sacrificing control.

Dan Tylicki: I was not the biggest fan of the signing. I get that he was probably the best college left-hander in the draft (never draft a high school pitcher, in my opinion), but after reviewing everything I had a much better opinion of Chris Sale, and personally would have taken him. I’m not saying that just because he’s already in the majors; I noticed this when reacting to the draft. 

In terms of signability though, that’s always a possibility, as it would be silly to draft someone if you couldn’t sign them. If that was their reason for picking Pomeranz over someone like Barret Loux, who didn’t sign, then that’s fine.

Scott Miles: I think he was the top player for the Indians in that slot. 

There may have been some position players with more upside than Pomeranz, but the Tribe’s starting pitching is clearly a weakness. Pomeranz has the potential to be a front-end starter for the Tribe for years to come.

3. The way the Indians approach signing draft picks brings up an interesting issue about how the process works across the league. The rules for slotting bonuses in the MLB are not hard and fast, rather, strongly suggested guidelines for how big a bonus a player drafted at a given slot should receive. 

Like most of baseball’s “guidelines,” very few teams adhere to them. Except the Indians, who are generally staunch followers of the guidelines the league sets. 

The Indians claim they’re just following the rules, but many think it’s just another excuse for the team’s ownership to be stingy. 

What’s your take on this? Are the slotting guidelines really rules that should be followed by the Tribe if no one else is following them? Do you think the Tribe is being cheap by adhering to them? 

Generally speaking, would you support an enforced slotting system for the league so that teams with more money or more spendthrift ownership don’t have an advantage in the draft?

Samantha Bunten: I’m generally not a fan of the way the NBA conducts itself, but there’s one thing they did get absolutely right: the slotting system. 

I’m not necessarily a staunch supporter of enforced slotting bonus amounts in MLB, but I do think it would be a good way to ensure that teams with less money aren’t constantly getting shafted in the draft. 

The absence of a salary cap and the impact of anti-trust laws already create a huge lack of parity in baseball. Let’s not make it even worse for the have-nots by putting them at a disadvantage in the draft as well, which should be the one place where they can go for talent if they can’t afford to purchase it on the open market. Really, it’s that or we all just agree to get rid of Scott Boras. 

Dale Thomas: To me, these “guidelines” are put out there for reasons other than the game of baseball. Like any other sport, baseball makes enforceable rules for things they consider to be critical to the game and to the balance of the game across the league. Simply stated, guidelines are a bunch of crap. 

I can’t eliminate the idea that the Indians are using the guidelines as an excuse, but at the same time I believe they would go outside the guideposts like everyone else if the conditions were favorable to doing that. It’s not like they have never thrown some money around, it’s more that they throw it at the wrong people, then freak out about it. 

I’m not really up for an enforced slotting system. Well-run teams under clever ownership can make enough money to be competitive. 

Put a winner on the field and players will come in from all directions. Winning teams are not necessarily dictated by the weight of a signing bonus.

Dan Tylicki: If no one else is following a guideline, then there’s not really any reason to either. Larry Dolan’s about as much of a tightwad as I am (not a compliment), and adhering to a guideline others scoff at is a clever excuse so that they don’t have to spend any money.

In theory, I would love an enforced slotting system in the draft, so that money isn’t an issue and clubs just have to look at talent. That being said, that kind of system would cause the possibility of players choosing to play overseas, so it would not solve all the draft problems, but at the same time it’s not meant to.

Scott Miles: I think the Indians did a pretty good job balancing the slotting system. They didn’t overpay for their top guys, yet they were also able to give Alex Lavisky, the catcher from St. Edward, about a million dollars, even though he was an eighth or ninth round pick.

Ideally, there would be a slotting system like the NBA (and the NHL, or so I’m told) so that it would never be an issue that the worst teams can’t sign the best players because they’re asking for too much money. 

I’m not sure if this will ever happen, but it needs to for the sake of competitive balance…let the Yankees and Red Sox sign those guys away from teams when they’re 28, not just be able to draft and develop them, too.

4. With the season coming to a close in less than two months, draft positions for 2011 will soon become apparent. 

Given the poor record the Tribe has this season, they will have a high pick in next year’s draft. The question is, how high? 

This brings up an interesting philosophical debate for losing teams: if you’re having a poor season no matter what, are you better off being truly at the very bottom of the barrel, in order to get a better draft position the following year, or is it always best to post the best record possible, even if said record will never be good enough to matter?

Samantha Bunten: No, no, no. I don’t care if you are 46 games out in your division by July; you NEVER cede games to improve your draft status. 

Fans come to the ballpark to see the team win, not to watch it jockey for position in a draft that will happen next year. Perhaps even more important, the MLB draft is different than the draft for other sports in that the likelihood of success for any given draft pick, be it a first-rounder or a 17th-rounder, is almost impossible to predict. 

It’s just never worth the gamble. A Stephen Strasburg comes along once every ten or so years. Most of the time, you’re talking about gambling away wins on a  Jeremy Sowers or a Trevor Crowe. No thanks.

Dale Thomas: Oh man…Go out there each and every day and try to win. It’s your obligation, no matter what. 

I mean, let’s say we have a long term plan wherein we throw games for five straight years to get number ones, and get ’em we do. Then we contend for five years. Then we dump and throw games for five more years, contend for five, and so-on. 

How is that baseball? It’s more like insider trading. Bookies wouldn’t even like it.

Come to think of it, hasn’t Kansas City done the ‘last place’ thing for like 30 years? This really blows my five-year plan…

Dan Tylicki: It looks like we will probably have a top five selection again this year, so ideally we can get the best players. While in some sports it seems wiser to lose the final game or two to give yourself a better position, unless there’s an amazing prospect in the next draft and you’re tied for the worst record, there’s no reason not to keep playing. 

As I’ve said above, the MLB draft is pretty much a crap shoot; the fifth, sixth, or seventh pick really doesn’t make a difference except to the player himself. It means little for the team, so there’s no reason to throw a game.

Scott Miles: I don’t think its as much of an issue because the baseball draft is too much of a crap shoot compared to the other sports. 

It is so broad. With 1,500 players involved you can easily miss on the top prospects. There is never a cut-and-dried consensus number one player (well, except for Strasburg). 

The Indians just need to stick with their philosophy now of playing as many young guys as possible, continue competing hard, and worry about next year next year.

5. Fun Question of the Week: Who is your favorite Indian who was drafted and developed by the team? Did the fact that this player came up through the Indians system have anything to do with your attachment to him? 

If the player you chose above is now retired or with another team, who is your favorite current Indian who was drafted and developed by the Tribe?

Samantha Bunten: That has to be Charlie Nagy or Manny, both former Indians who I would be attached to no matter what, but who I feel an additional sense of ownership of/fondness for because they were home-grown. 

I’d add Paul Shuey to that list as well as a more under-the-radar player who meant more to Indians fans because he came up through our system. 

As far as players still currently in the system, it has to be David Huff, despite his insistence on consistently proving my faith in him to be ill-founded. That honor should have theoretically gone to Adam Miller, but that was never a possibility since he’s been broken, uh, pretty much since the day we drafted him in 2003.

Dale Thomas: I could pick CC Sabathia, Charley Nagy, or Manny Ramirez. I love all those guys, and yes I do credit much of the love to the fact that they came up through our system…like family or something. 

But I’m going to go with Rick Manning as my all time fave because he was drafted way back in 1972 and, in a way, is STILL with the team. Now that’s longevity. 

For the last part of this question I’m stuck on that word ‘developed’… as in currently playing and playing well… hmmm…Trevor? Nah, I guess I’m currently without a favorite.

Dan Tylicki: This is a tough one, as there are several players drafted in the late 1980s/early 1990s that would fit in here. My first choice would be Manny Ramirez. He got lumped in with Thome a lot, and since the latter lasted longer he seems more well liked in Cleveland, but I loved the way Ramirez played the game, and still do, performance enhancers aside. 

My second choice is Charles Nagy. He didn’t have the personality like Ramirez or others, but he got the job done day in and day out, and that’s all you can ask of anybody.

Scott Miles: It has to be Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez, no? How can you not love those guys and what they meant to the city? Two future Hall of Famers. It’s hard to beat that. 

For me personally, after working for the Lake County Captains for two years, I definitely feel something a little extra when I watch the Indians now. Jeanmar Gomez, Josh Tomlin, Chris Gimenez, and Trevor Crowe were all guys I saw up close and personal. 

Jared Goedert, Hector Rondon, Carlton Smith, Nick Weglarz, and Matt McBride are some of the guys in AAA that I remember watching as well. I definitely root for all of those guys, even if I never imagined some of them would get this far (OK, just Gimenez).

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the Dodgers’ season appears to be slowly fading into a dismal abyss of disappointments and shortcomings, a welcomed break to the negativity is…well…the hot significant others of current and former Dodgers. 

While the Dodgers may be in disarray, one thing they have going for them is gorgeous women by their side cheering them up. Check out these shots of Dodgers wives, girlfriends, and ex’s past and present.

Also check out my article of The Top 10 Hottest Celebs in Dodger Blue of The Last Decade

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The last we heard of Jay Gibbons was in 2007 while a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Three years later, Gibbons has finally made it back to the Majors, and thus far, he is making it count.

Jay Jonathan Gibbons was born in 1977 in Rochester, Mich. However, he spent the majority of his childhood in California, graduating from Mayfair High School in Lakewood. Following high school, Gibbons was a standout at UCLA. 

The 6-foot, 205-pound outfielder was drafted in the 14th round of the 1998 amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gibbons immediately began making an impact, becoming the Triple Crown champion of the Pioneer League, with 19 home runs and 98 RBI while carrying a .397 batting average.

Following the 2000 season, the Baltimore Orioles claimed him in the Rule 5 draft. He made his major league debut on April 6, 2001. Gibbons rookie season with the Orioles in 2001 was off to a great start.

The young slugger had 15 home runs and 36 RBIs in 73 games before becoming hampered by a hand injury.

The following season, 2002, was a career-best for Gibbons. That season he hit 28 home runs for the Orioles,

In 2003, he followed up that performance with career highs in batting average (.277) and RBI (100). He was voted team MVP and many considered 2003 his break out season.

However, in 2004, the injury bug once again bit Gibbons. He appeared in just 97 games, a great reduction compared to the 160 games the year before. Gibbons collected just 47 RBIs while striking out 64 times.

The Orioles were convinced his declining numbers weren’t due to just injuries. In his shortened playing time, he also struggled at the plate while not complaining of physical discomfort.

The lefty had LASIK eye surgery following the 2004 season, and his numbers improved immediately in 2005. 

Gibbons smashed 135 hits in 139 games, re-emerging on the scene as a legitimate force at the plate. But it was short-lived.

The 2006 and 2007 seasons were once again plagued with injuries. Gibbons didn’t play over 100 games in either season.

To add insult to injuries, Gibbons was named by pitcher Jason Grimsley as an anabolic steroid user in a September 2006 report by the Los Angeles Times.

He was also named in the infamous Mitchell Report  in late 2007 as a steroid user and was eventually released by Baltimore on March 29, 2008. 

Left without a team and on the outside of the fringe having been linked to steroids, Gibbons spent four months from late March to late July as a free agent, before being given another shot by the Milwaukee Brewers.

However, he never appeared in a major league game for the franchise, and was again released in November. 

Gibbons was signed in January 2009 by the Florida Marlins, but spent less time with them than he did with the Brewers, and was released in March of the same year.

The outfielder found himself signing a deal to play for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.

Finally, in 2010, Gibbons impressed the Dodgers enough to be given an invitation to Spring Training. Gibbons took the invitation to heart, determined to reach the majors again to prove he could still compete.

While with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, Gibbons batted .347 in 94 games while hitting 19 home runs.  

Injuries to Manny Ramirez and Reed Johnson, coupled with the consistent underachievement of veteran Garret Anderson, prompted the Dodgers to promote Gibbons to the 25-man major league roster.

Thus far, you’d never guess Gibbons hasn’t played in the majors since 2007, as he has found his way into two Dodger games, and it would be difficult for Gibbons to perform any better. He is 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI (Gibbons’ RBI single).

His current performance leaves Dodger fans pondering two questions: What took so long for the team to promote him? What would the season look like had he been called up much earlier?

In any event, the hometown kid may be here to stay, and is certainly making his case to cement a roster spot for the remainder of the season, and possibly into the future.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers are fading fast, and are already eying the San Francisco Giants with a fleeting hope of making a remarkable comeback and a wild-card berth.

Realistically, the Dodgers are most likely turning their focus to 2011, and the uncertainty that lies on the horizon.

It is becoming more possible that the McCourts, Frank and Jamie, will be ordered to sell the team while they can’t settle marital differences. A new owner would likely provide some financial stability.

Several Dodgers will be free agents at the end of the 2010 season, including James Loney, Hiroki Kuroda, Manny Ramirez, and Vicente Padilla.

In addition to the potential loss of key players, the Dodgers will still be paying estranged outfielders Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones.

With all the turmoil of under-performing players along with injuries and soap-opera drama in the front office, there is a brighter outlook for devoted fans…

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With only a few more months to go before a champion is crowned, the 2010 season is winding down. As always, there are those players who have outplayed their current contract and those players who haven’t lived up to the millions of dollars that they are being paid.

Problems with age, injuries, and plain-old ineffectiveness are some reasons why these players made the list. It may not be fair to pick on someone who has battled injuries, but the club still has to pay the salary regardless if they are hurt or not. 

This list is in no particular order, so I will let you guys debate who belongs where.

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With a long history rich with tradition and ceremony, baseball is, more than any other sport, conducive to story-telling and folklore. Baseball has also, more than any other sport, been a subject of the Hollywood movie landscape, with plenty of classics like The Natural, Bull Durham, and Field of Dreams.

Ironic, then, that Hollywood (or should I say “Mannywood”) should be the setting for baseball’s latest, and perhaps most relevant, made-for-the-silver-screen storyline.

The Steroid Era.

It’s no secret now that Manny Ramirez was among the perhaps hundreds of major league baseball players who, throughout the 1990s and into the first decade of the 21st century, used performance-enhancing drugs like steroids to gain an on-field advantage over their opponents and hasten recovery from injury. 

Just last season, Manny became the first big-name player to be suspended 50 games for the use of a banned substance which, in Man-Ram’s case, was a hormone therapy supplement intended to restore his body’s chemistry to normal levels following steroid use.

While Manny is far from alone in his status as a superstar whose accomplishments have been tainted by the use of PEDs (Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds come to mind), what makes his case particularly noteworthy is the short time-frame in which Manny has managed to play out the typical three-act script of a steroid star falling from grace, in just two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Act I: A Star Is Born

Once upon a time, at the start of August 2008, Manny Ramirez arrived in Chavez Ravine to an outpouring of fanfare. Acquired at the non-waiver trade deadline from Boston in a three-way deal for Andy LaRoche, Manny was greeted with open arms by a team struggling in its first year under legendary manager Joe Torre and by a rabid fan base of Angelenos tired of watching their punchless Dodgers whittle away yet another summer amidst the misery of triple-digit heat.

Lo and behold, Manny took Southern California by storm, hitting .396 with 17 home runs and 63 runs batted in over the final 53 games of the season to lift the Dodgers to the NL West Division title in a notably down year for National League baseball in the West.

The Dodgers would continue into the postseason, where the boys in blue swept the 100-win Chicago Cubs in the first round, only to lose to the eventual-World-Series-champion Philadelphia Phillies in the league championship series.

Nonetheless, Manny had done his job exceedingly well and earned a devoted following in the process.  Before the season was out, Dodger fans were donning dreadlock wigs and snapping up seats in a left-field section dubbed “Mannywood” by Dodger management.  It seemed as though Manny could do no wrong, until…

Act II: A Fall From Grace

As was the case with his precocious PED-pushing colleagues, Manny couldn’t keep his “secret for success” a secret for very long.  Barely a month into the 2009 season, Manny was suspended by MLB for 50 games after testing positive for hCG, a women’s fertility drug banned for its use by ballplayers to restart testosterone production after a cycle of steroid use.

While the likes of A-Rod and David Ortiz, Manny’s sidekick with the Red Sox, were being outed by anonymous sources and “insiders” for allegedly testing positive for PEDs during a preliminary round of confidential tests administered by Major League Baseball in 2003, Manny was caught in the act, once the rules had already long been in place to punish those who jeopardized the integrity of the game by using banned substances. 

The same hubris that had Manny holding out until spring training to sign a two-year, $45 million deal—when the Dodgers were the essentially bidding against themselves—also led him to continue his use of PEDs, despite the presence of random drug testing and severe penalties for those who tested positive.

Like that of his crest-fallen compatriots, the integrity of Manny’s accomplishments came under intense scrutiny by the national sports media. 

However, unlike others in his position, Manny made little, if any, attempt to apologize for his actions or proclaim innocence, choosing rather to neglect his teammates and, perhaps more importantly, his fans, who had elevated him to the status of SoCal sports icon in less than half-a-season’s-worth of games played.

While Manny remained idle in placating the organization, the fans, and the media, his lengthy suspension prevented him from regaining his place amongst the good graces of the baseball gods through positive on-field contributions.  Rather, Manny was forced to bide his time before he could begin his arduous climb back to respectability on the diamond.

Act III: A Shot At Redemption…

While some ‘roid ragers, like Rafael Palmeiro, fled for early retirement, others, like Manny, have kept on playin’ ball, for money as well as pride, though one can never underestimate the power of the dollar in anyone’s decision-making process, particularly that of a professional athlete.

Like clockwork, Manny returned to his place in the Dodgers lineup after the suspension, with the team having held remarkably steady during his absence.

Manny performed admirably, though not nearly as torridly as he had in his first two months in Dodger blue, finishing the season with a .290 batting average and 17 home runs in just over 100 games while battling through a variety of nagging injuries—quite possibly the kinds of injuries that steroids may have helped to heal—once again helping the Dodgers reach the NL Championship series, where they fell victim to the Phillies for a second consecutive year.

To almost no one’s surprise, the Mannywood faithful welcomed their hero back to left field with open arms, seemingly choosing to ignore his transgressions as just another case of “Manny being Manny,” with the Dodgers’ success serving as a convenient blindfold.

Fast-forward to this season, and Manny’s campaign to rebuild his image on the field has taken a considerable step backward. 

While A-Rod has spent the summer chasing (and reaching) the 600 home run milestone and Big Papi has worked his way out of an early-season slump, Manny has spent a significant portion of the schedule nursing his wounds (and his ego) on the disabled list while his teammates have struggled to play consistently solid baseball while maintaining a tenuous position of relevance in a division race chock-full of capable competitors. 

The recently-passed trade deadline saw fans and journalists alike calling on Dodgers GM Ned Colletti to dump Ramirez as a late-season rental to another contender in exchange for some valuable pieces, to help now and/or in the future. Not exactly the universal approval Manny might’ve hoped for.

Where Manny’s career goes from here is anybody’s guess.  There is little doubt that, whether by trade or contract expiration, Manny’s time as a Dodger will soon come to a somewhat tragic close. Once that time comes, the baseball community will have plenty of opportunity to cast judgment on Manny’s brief tenure in Los Angeles. 

Of all the many noteworthy observations to stem from the Mannywood experiment, perhaps most intriguing is how Manny and the Dodgers managed to write the perfect, if sullen, screenplay to match baseball’s 20-or-so years of steroids abuse–from the home run frenzy of the late ’90s and early 2000s, to the exposure of the specter of cheating in the mid-2000s, to the subdued return to normalcy of the present day.

In essence, Manny’s story is, for better or worse, a rather tidy encapsulation of the trials and tribulations of baseball’s latest generation of superstars and future legends, though, while set in “Tinseltown,” it concludes with anything but a Hollywood ending.

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Celebrity gossip reporter, Perez Hilton, posted on his website that Alex Rodriguez broke a home run world record on Wednesday afternoon. (Sorry, I thought Perez Hilton breaking the A-Rod story is funnier and more entertaining then Peter Gammons doing so.)

Now, I am not breaking any news—neither is Hilton—but Alex Rodriguez, 35, smashed his 600th home run at Yankee Stadium.

With the blast, which was hit against Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum, Rodriguez became the youngest player, seventh overall, in MLB history to hit 600 home runs.

What’s interesting about Rodriguez’s milestone, which is a major accomplishment, is nobody cares…well, at least not a lot—according to The Dan Patrick Show’s non-scientific poll on Thursday, 70 percent of listeners said they didn’t care.

On Thursday, sports talk shows talked about A-Rod’s dinger, his place in history, what No. 600 means nowadays, and steroids.

However, tomorrow, Brett Farve’s non-retirement retirement will be the headline on ESPN.

This wouldn’t be the case 25 years ago.

I have a mixed take on whether this is right or wrong.

On one side, I think it’s fair punishment for steroid users such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Rodriguez.

This is what happens when you get an edge. It’s much like LeBron James winning a title in Miami instead of Cleveland. Yes, LeBron’s chances of winning multiple titles are greater in a Heat uniform. But those six titles in Miami won’t equal the title he’d have earned Cleveland. LeBron’s edge with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh hinder the value of his possible titles.

The truth is, when people have to struggle to reach their goals, the satisfaction is greater.

Fans also appreciate milestones more when there’s nothing attached—just think of Craig Biggio’s race to 3,000th hits, which was hyped up during spring training, covered endlessly during the season, and celebrated for months after it was reached.

Biggio was the 27th player in MLB history to reach the milestone. A-Rod is the seventh player in history to hit 600 homers.

How much coverage did A-Rod’s race to 600 get during spring training? How much during the season? How much will it get after?

I follow MLB very regularly. I watch Yankee games consistently.

At around 599 is when I heard about A-Rod’s 600—unfortunately for Rodriguez, that was 46 at bats ago. The delay between 599 and 600 hindered the anticipation. By the time Rodriguez hit 600, New York fans were moving onto the AL East pennant race.

The truth: General baseball fans stopped caring about home-run milestones after Bonds and Sosa.

Which brings me to the other side of the story.

What happens when Jim Thome (39 years old, 577 HRs), Manny Ramirez (38 years old, 554 HRs), Albert Pujols (30 years old, 393 HRs) and, possibly Adam Dunn (30 years old, 344 HRs) march toward 600 then 700?

Do fans begin to switch opinions on home-run records?

Ramirez, who has been caught using steroids, is a bad example. Currently, Thome needs just 23 dingers, Dunn is on pace to hit more than 40 home runs for the seventh time in eight seasons, and Pujols will surpass 400 homers by season’s end.

It would be hypocritical for fans to support Thome, Pujols, Dunn, and not Rodriguez because we aren’t 100-percent sure if the threesome played clean. (It’s acceptable if a fan supports the three because they like them more than Rodriguez.)

Another interesting question is, if the trend of pitching continues will the value of the home run rise again?

From 1992-2009, hitters owned the game. This isn’t the case this season and some experts, like Sports Illustrated‘s Tom Verducci, thinks the trend will continue.

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince wrote on Thursday, that Rodriguez could be the last to hit 600 homers:

“Rodriguez’s path, then, was a circumvented one, and it could be a long, long time before anyone comes within striking distance of 600 so quickly.

If Thome’s body holds up, maybe he’ll join the club. Ramirez might do it, too. But after that, the wait between entries could be a bit more in line with the historical flow, rather than the recent flood. Club 600 could become the little hideaway that it once was.”

The future will answer all of my questions.

I’ll admit, I’m would like to move past the PED era and root for hitters to silence critics during a pitching-dominant era, which I think will continue for many seasons.

However, I know in the back of fans’ minds—I’ll admit mine, too—there will be doubt about how many of Player X’s homers were legitimate.

The good thing is, time heals most wounds and, like any free market, the value of the home run will return.

Unfortunately for Rodriguez, his 600th came during a home-run market crash. He’ll need to hope that when 700 is in reach, the market returns and fans, once again, appreciate the milestone’s rightful value.

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Although the July 31st trade deadline has passed, teams can still try to pass players through waivers in hopes to make an August trade.

Here are five players that might be changing teams in the next few weeks.

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