Monday, August 29, 2005

Fletch Was Right

Before the weekend, Mighty Mike and I were trading lines from Chevy Chase’s 1985 classic Spies Like Us. As I was eating lunch, I came across a blurb (below) that made me realize that Chevy Chase is a genius. In his movie Fletch, after being picked up by cops and brought to the station house to meet with Police Chief Karlin, Fletch remarks “Is that you with Tommy Lasorda…I hate Tommy Lasorda” and smashes the framed picture of Chief Karlin and the fat schmuck that used to call himself the manager of the LA Dodgers.

“The Jeff Kent-Milton Bradley feud is exposing rifts within the Dodgers’ front office. Owner Frank McCourt told the Los Angeles Times that he underestimated the importance of character, a veiled criticism of GM Paul DePodesta. Tommy Lasorda, a special advisor to McCourt, is bad-mouthing DePodesta, according to rival scouts and executives. And manager Jim Tracy, who was believed to be in trouble, appears to be rising in stature…”

It doesn’t surprise me one bit that the fat spaghetti-eater is out there bashing DePo’s methods. I’d bet that Tommy’s trying to make a comeback as a GM or team executive. What I find funny is the thought of that dipshit trying to run the Dodgers in this day and age. Not that there isn’t a place at the table for old-school baseball viewpoints but Tommy’s expertise is only of the butt-slapping, hand-clapping variety. He’s simply incapable of competing at the major league level against other GM’s when nearly $100M is in play. Leave DePo alone. I think he’s doing a fine job. Sometimes you need to gut a perfectly nice-looking house before you turn it into a work of art. I think the Dodgers will come out on the other side and be better for it, if only they let DePo do his job and see the process through. Remember, Tommy, we mock what we don’t understand.

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