Throughout their long and rich history, the Dodgers and Yankees have been intertwined. In 2008, the Dodgers are hoping the man who returned the Bronx Bombers to the pinnacle of the sport can do the same for their languishing franchise.
When Los Angeles hired Joe Torre as manager Nov. 1, it did so with the intent of ending a 20-year drought between World Series appearances, the longest-such dry spell for the franchise since the then-Brooklyn Dodgers went from 1920 to 1941 between trips to the Fall Classic.
For one of baseball’s traditional powerhouse franchises, that’s a long time without playing for the title. Consider the 47 seasons after 1940: the Dodgers appeared in 16 World Series, including eight in their first 33 seasons in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles has not been to the World Series since shocking the Oakland A’s in 1988, Kirk Gibson’s epic pinch-hit homer off Dennis Eckersley to win Game 1 setting the tone for a series L.A. won in five games. In fact, the Dodgers have not won a postseason series since.
But the Dodgers have been busy this off season, making three moves they hope will help the franchise rebound from last season’s fourth-place finish and put the Dodgers back into the mix as contenders for the world championship.
The move that has generated the most buzz is the addition of Torre, who directed the New York Yankees to four World Series titles in five seasons from 1996-2000. Torre, who directed the Bronx Bombers to the playoffs in each of his 13 seasons at the helm, will have plenty of talent to work with on the field.
The biggest move, player-wise, occurred at December’s Winter Meetings, when L.A. inked free-agent outfielder Andruw Jones to a two-year, $36.2-million contract. Granted, Jones is coming off the worst offensive season of his career, during which he hit just .222 for Atlanta. Defensively, there are whispers around baseball that the 10-time Gold Glove winner has lost a step.
Still, Jones is an upgrade defensively and, if he can bounce back at the plate, adds a feared power bat to the middle of the lineup.
L.A. also addressed its struggles at the back end of the starting rotation, signing Japanese hurler Hiroki Kuroda. The right-hander isn’t expected to be the ace, but rather shore up the end of the starting staff behind Brad Penny, Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley.
With NL West champion Arizona dealing for Oakland ace Dan Haren to team with reigning Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb, the Dodgers still face a formidable challenge in running down the Snakes for the division’s top spot. The Padres figure to be in the mix, too, as do the defending NL champion Rockies.
But in making these three moves, the Dodgers addressed the major problems that sent them to fourth in 2007. Torre, regarded as one of the best and most-respected skippers in the game, brings stability and leadership to the dugout. Jones will bat cleanup and his defense will be a major upgrade over Juan Pierre. If Jason Schmidt can recover from shoulder surgery, he will team with Kuroda to round out a very solid five-man rotation.
It still may be a long shot to expect the Dodgers to represent the Senior Circuit in the World Series come October. But this trio of newcomers is a step in the right direction, a direction that at least points toward the post-season.
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Written by Bud L. Ellis - Visit Website
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