The 2010 Baseball Trading Deadline Redux

Trust me, Topps bubble gum cards have nothing over these guys. The ever goofy Lords of Baseball.

Last Saturday, as the baseball trading deadline approached, they literally had a countdown clock on the MLB Network. It was New Year's Eve in July. I was expecting Dick Clark to spit out some beef broth so he could kiss his wife when the Dodgers landed a starting pitcher.

As I expected, it was more than the preceding media hype required. I decided that I didn't really care. Players in, players out and you hope some of them help you get to the October postseason. Frankly, the last time I got really, really upset at the baseball trading deadline was when the Mets got rid of Tom Seaver. And I did promise the paramedics that I would never do that again.

My two chosen teams in life, the Dodgers and the Mets, had completely diverse outcomes on Deadline Day. Both are on the periphery of pennant races. One great homestand and one horrible road trip could elevate or sink either one.

The Mets chose to not make any trades. Well, actually, the other 29 baseball franchises sort of made that decision for them. The Mets didn't have many trading chips and their minor league system right now resembles a Walmart stockroom after Thanksgiving weekend. The Mets had little to offer and were relegated to find another competing general manager who is like Joey that slow kid next door. You know, the boy who would swap baseball cards and give you Mickey Mantle for Jack Heidemann even up. Never heard of Jack Heidemann? Talk to Joey. Meanwhile, even without being able to upgrade their team, I went to Citi Field that very night and the sun still set on schedule and the sausage was still grilled. Sort of.

As for the Boys in Blue, they were incredibly active filling some holes that had sprung up in a dyke that might have been originally built by Larry, Darryl, and Darryl. All of these swaps were much to the chagrin and/or consternation of some noted Dodger bloggers, who are always knee deep in statistics and ankle deep in common sense.

"They gave away too many prospects."

"Oh, my God, what are we going to do without Blake DeWitt?"

"They should just cash in the season."

Such defeatist reactions would have had Hitler's Nazis marching through Sheboygan by 1943. Come on, folks, get your noses out of the stat book and enjoy some baseball. It's all part of the game. You try to improve, but it's not an exact science. If it was so easy to be a baseball general manager, more people would be doing it and Charlie Rangel might even be applying for the open job in Arizona.

Dodger GM Ned Colletti did what he could and I think he pretty much succeeded. Coming from the Cubs are a reliable starting pitcher, Ted Lilly, and a serviceable infielder, Ryan Theriot. Going to the Cubs are Blake DeWitt, a nice guy who will always be an average ballplayer, and two prospects I never heard of. I'm always bemused by fans who are so desperately trying to hold onto unproven minor leaguers. If you go down through the years, perhaps 95% of those "can't miss" players usually do. And, hearing from some friends who are Cub fans, they are devastated by the loss of Theriot. So, there are two sides to every coin.

The Dodgers also got a hold of speedy Scott Podsednik, who will fill in for Manny Ramirez and this means Scott already qualifies for overtime pay. Dodger bloggers gave this guy a hall pass mainly because they saw pictures of Mrs. Podsednik, a former Playmate of the Month. The Dodgers also picked up the well-traveled reliever, Octavio Dotel, who also sounds like a character in an unproduced Shakespearean play. If nothing else, Dotel means that we will see much, much less of George Sherrill, who has been horrible this year and doesn't have the luxury of marrying a hot chick.

The Dodgers cash in the season? The nincompoops around us forget that they were in much worse shape just two years ago and still made the playoffs. If you have a chance and the doctor thinks regular medication will help, why not go to the drugstore?

In reality, at the end of the day and the season, you never ever know what will happen. That's what makes baseball so great. And some fans so suicidal.

I can remember when.

Dinner last night: Back in LA for the salad bar at Gelson's.