Sez Me …
The problem with baseball isn’t the Dodgers. The problem with baseball is baseball. The Bums simply are a product of it.
They have the wherewithal. And no matter what size the room, they are always the smartest people in it.
Am I pleased? Hell no, I’m not. I’ve hated them since I first wet the bed. Hated them long before the Padres came into being.
We were a Giants family. You don’t like the Dodgers if you’re a Giants fan. My affinity for the Giants totally faded away. My extreme dislike for the Dodgers did not.
But they aren’t breaking any laws. They are doing what they do because they can do it, thanks to being the only club ever to declare bankruptcy (and thus received extreme leniency from MLB).
So they are an exclusive club that is exclusive only because nobody else wants to pay the exorbitant dues.
MLB has no salary cap because way back when, the owners caved. The bosses want it. The union ain’t giving it up.
At the trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers for pork rinds, and the world went crazy. Skubal wanted to go to L.A., which, despite being rich, also, farm-to-majors, is the best organization in baseball.
They didn’t need him. But what the hell? As my old chemistry professor said: “A little’s good, but a lot’s better.”
The Dodgers have the six highest-paid pitchers in baseball. That’s more than the total players’ salaries of 18 teams. And none of their starters are homegrown.
They owe $1.1 billion in deferred player payments. But they get $334 million per year in local TV rights, which is around $150 million more than the Yankees, who rank No. 2. That figure could reach $500 million by 2038, when the deal expires.
Shohei Ohtani will make $2 million in salary this year. Eventually, he will make $680 million more in deferred money. It’s all legal under MLB’s wacky judicial system.
And because of Ohtani, with Japanese stardom, last year they became the first team to gather $1 billion in revenue. Signing him was genius.
And the Dodgers still have more of the top 100 prospects down on the farm than any other club.
This is the best team money can buy. But there are no guarantees. Baseball may be screwed up, but the game remains baseball. And lately, they haven’t played like a team for the ages.
But the playoffs are different. L.A. basically has 10 starting pitchers, and pitching matters in October. Manager Dave Roberts’ biggest dilemma will be what to do with them all.
There are no locks in this game. They came this close to losing the 2025 World Series to Toronto. But they are as near as you can get to holding the key.
Are the Dodgers bad for baseball? Not really. Baseball is bad for baseball.
It doesn’t appear fixable. And the Dodgers are signing players, not treaties. …
Give Padres GM A.J. Preller credit. He may have fixed his biggest problem — the starting rotation. …
Now, if the Pads get to the postseason, they can win games. The “if” is smaller than it was at the deadline, but it’s still there. …
Padres patience. I thought Bud Black would be interim-managing the Pads by August. I can’t blame Craig Stammen for their first-half ills — managers are incredibly overrated — but if he were in New York, he’d be selling knockoff purses and watches. …
Padres fans will be paying more for tickets to mediocrity next season. …
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a ball so hard in Arizona the other night it created a dust storm. What’s the deal with this guy? He’s the only player this year with two 465-foot-plus home runs. …
Most of the people in the world wouldn’t know Tarik Skubal from your local Amazon delivery person. …
MLB does a terrible job of promoting its stars. It always has. …
Mike Trout was the best player for a long time, and he played in the L.A. market. His family didn’t recognize him. …
Engaged: Justin Herbert and Madison Beer. If he took any advice from Philip Rivers, his new house will have 10 bedrooms and a nursery. …
Hank Bauer, one of the greatest special teams players in NFL history, an extremely popular/loyal member of the NFL Team That Used To Be Here, once again is denied entry in the club’s Hall of Fame. No sense. Just nuts. …
Aaron Rodgers is saying this positively will be his final year in the NFL. Is he running for office? What a crock. …
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls Rodgers a stereotypical “Big, dumb athlete” for his stance as a COVID antivaxer. That’s a lot of wisdom. More than seven feet and 79 years of it. …
The Cardinals have given QB Jacoby Brissett $15.5 million guaranteed. Arizona would have been better off spending the money on sand. …
Even if Aaron Donald plays, he won’t play enough to make the Rams’ defense the greatest of all time. Stop it. …
Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor have been signed to big deals. Running backs finally sprinting to the money and getting their just due. …
Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. has apologized for his May arrest in Georgia for driving 135 mph in a 70 mph zone. He thought he was only going 130. …
Cris Collinsworth, you can’t make NFL exhibitions into chicken salad. …
LSU footballers will practice with air-conditioned helmets. Cold contracts. Cold reduces swelling. So this is Lane Kiffin’s way of keeping his kids from getting big heads. …
Will LSU be using charging stations? …
Notre Dame has revealed its new, $100-million football digs. Don’t mess with the Vatican. The Pope grew up nearby. …
I’m not a fan of Jimmy Fallon. He would welcome Stalin and laugh all night. But his impersonation of Neil Young singing “Old Man” is impossible to top. Beyond incredible. …
Las Vegas doesn’t have an NBA team but is planning a new arena for one. San Diego? We’ll always have Midway Rising. …
RIP, Billy Ray Smith. I interviewed BR in his Hanalei Hotel room the night before he first signed with the NFL Team That Used To Be Here. A really good man. A really good football player. …
After you shook hands with Billy Ray, you needed an X-ray. A grip of steel. …
From volatile manager Billy Martin: “I never threw the first punch. I threw the next four.” …
Dr. Fauci saved millions of lives, and he’s the bad guy? What an incredibly stupid world of diversion we live in. …
LIV Golf hasn’t worked because, unlike MLB, the PGA has done something. …
Just went on an Alaskan cruise. Alaska is spectacular. We may be trying, but it’s one place we’ve yet to screw up. …
There was a robot bar on our huge, incredible ship, Anthem of the Seas. What do you tip a robot? WD-40? …
Shaq is 54. Saw a video of him dunking. What a phenomenal film. He’s 7-foot-1. That’s like me sitting down. …
When Yogi Berra’s wife told him she’d taken their son to see Dr. Zhivago, Yogi yelped: “What the hell’s wrong with him now?”