Thursday, October 2, 1997
A tale of
two cities
COLUMN:Dodgers¹ woes direct result of Claire¹s poor
decision making
It was the best of teams, it was the worst of teams, it was an
organization of wisdom, it was an organization of foolishness, it
was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the
spring of hope, it was the autumn of despair, the Braves had
everything before them, the Dodgers had nothing before them, they
were all going direct to the World Series, they were all going
direct the other way – in short, the year was so far like previous
years, that some of its noisiest authorities (me) insisted on its
being received, for good or evil, with a measure of change.
It was the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and
ninety-seven. The Atlanta Braves had won an unprecedented sixth
consecutive division title, and the Los Angeles Dodgers had won
primo seats in front of the TV to watch them. While Atlanta looked
certain to make its fifth World Series appearance in six tries, the
Dodgers had missed the playoffs for the fourth time in that span.
Something had to be done.
Fred Claire needed to be fired.
Too be sure, the Dodger general manager isn’t the only one to
blame for the team’s lackluster performance of recent years, but he
has definitely done his part. A comparison to the Braves’ John
Schuerholz only makes that more evident.
No team has been more disappointing over the past four or five
years than the Dodgers, managing only two first-round postseason
flameouts despite a talent level that, year in and year out, causes
World Series predictions during the preseason. And those two years
were the highlights of this period: it’s been nine years since L.A.
won a postseason game.
Not only is the team’s underachieving recognized throughout the
rest of the league [after clinching the division, several Giants
players were quoted as saying that their victory was that much
sweeter because it came over a vastly more talented Dodger team],
but it has gotten to the point where even the players themselves
can’t deny it.
"This is the most talented team I’ve ever played on," Dodger
first baseman [and former Bruin] Eric Karros told the Associated
Press. "It’s a joke to look at this team and think it isn’t going
to [the] postseason."
Well the joke has gotten old, Eric, and it just isn’t funny
anymore.
"We’ve got the second-best pitching-staff in the league, an MVP
candidate (Mike Piazza), a 30-30 guy (Raul Mondesi) and four guys
who hit 30 home runs (Piazza, Mondesi, Todd Zeile and Karros
himself)," Karros added. "It shows you that statistics don’t mean
everything."
Unfortunately for Dodger fans, that message seems to have missed
Claire who continues to behave as if he were running a rotisserie
team. Before the 1995 season, he let go of (read, "forced out")
team leaders Brett Butler and Orel Hershiser via free agency, only
to have to trade away two prospects to get Butler back mid-way
through that season when the team falter due to a lack of
leadership. Meanwhile, Hershiser was Cleveland’s most consistent
starter and a clubhouse leader as the Indians took the Braves to
six games in the ’95 World Series.
"You have to have the intangibles to be successful," Piazza told
A.P. "But you always have next year because of what this
organization is like."
Oops, looks like Claire missed this one, too, and it is in this
that his performance truly merits unemployment. As any military
general knows, it is sometimes necessary to lose a battle in order
to win the war. But the Dodgers’ general manager keeps pissing-away
young talent in desperate end-of-season attempts to make the
playoffs by plugging major holes in the starting lineup. The end
results have been teams too weak to hang in the postseason, and the
loss of players who might have helped win World Series a year or
two down the line.
In ’95 Claire traded young Henry Rodriguez (an All-Star for
Montreal last season) for Roberto Kelly, who the Dodgers then chose
not to re-sign. Last year it was Ron Coomer (.298, 13 HR, 85 RBI,
63 runs this season) and Chris Latham (.309, 58 RBI, 78 runs in 118
games for AAA Salt Lake City) to Minnesota for starting pitcher
Kevin Tapani, who the Dodgers then chose not to re-sign. This
season utility infielder and emotional catalyst Chad Fonville was
sent to the White Sox for all-glove/no-bat outfielder Darren Lewis,
geriatric outfielder Otis Nixon was brought in from the Blue Jays
in exchange for several minor leaguers, and12-game winner Pedro
Astacio went to Colorado for Eric Young.
The Young trade wouldn’t be a bad one, if Claire hadn’t allowed
the Rockies to take the speedy second baseman off of him to begin
with in the ’92 expansion draft, and if the Dodgers didn’t already
have a Rookie of the Year candidate at second in Wilton Guerrero.
And does anybody want to take bets on Lewis and Nixon being back in
Dodger Blue next season?
In essence, the Dodgers traded away years of possible service
from the young guys in exchange for months (and sometimes weeks)
from the fogies.
And don’t get me started about Claire’s record in
non-playoff-push trades: Pedro Martinez for Delino Deshields, are
you kidding me!! While Martinez has gone on to become the best
young pitcher in the majors during his time with the Expos,
Deshields batted in the .240’s over four utterly forgettable
seasons in L.A. It’ll be fun to watch the Dodgers through around
more young talent in their expected push to re-acquire Martinez.
(Anyone else notice a pattern here?)
In comparison, what few stretch-run moves the Braves have made
have been minor alterations; "tweeks," if you will, among the
role-players. Last year it was veteran Terry Pendleton for
clubhouse leadership and back-up outfielder Louis Polonia, this
year it was Greg Colbrunn for a right-handed hitter off the bench
and back-up catcher Greg Myers. By avoiding the desperation
shopping that Claire annually engages in, Schuerholz has been able
to bargain with teams on his terms, pulling the trigger only on
those deals where the cost, both short and long-term, doesn’t
exceed what he gets in return.
A perfect example was last season’s trade for Denny Neagle, one
of the few major trades the Braves have made during the playoff
drive. Schuerholz worked from a position of strength, since the
Pirates were desperate to unload pricey veterans and begin
rebuilding. True, the Braves gave up a promising young pitcher in
Jason Schmidt (10-9, 4.60 ERA), but that’s hardly a high price for
the 20-game winner and Cy Young candidate they received in Neagle
(who is only 29 himself).
And Shuerholz’s record the rest of the time boasts such
successes as Marquis Grissom, Kenny Lofton and Michael Tucker. Two
All-Stars and a bright young talent.
Is it really any wonder that the Braves have soared while the
Dodgers have faltered?
So please, Mr. Murdock, if you truly want to become the
West-coast version of Ted Turner, dump Fred Claire and hire someone
who won’t constantly waste the efforts of baseball’s finest
scouting and minor league system.
It would be a far, far better thing that you would do, than you
have ever done; it would be a far, far better team than L.A. has
ever known.By Rob Kariakian