Tuesday, June 2, 1998
Purported trade of star pitcher brings Dodgers pennant hopes
COLUMN: Randy Johnson could work Boys in Blue into World Series
shape
Take a moment, friends, and close your eyes. Make sure that all
thoughts of graduation, finals and sexual fantasies are purged from
your minds, because I require your undivided imagination.
Now, listen to the sound of my voice (or at least peruse my
words). I want you to picture yourself sitting in the warm sun,
munching on a Dodger Dog, listening to the limpid strains of "I
Love L.A." floating out over the loud speakers.
I want you to imagine, squatting behind home plate and wearing
Dodger blue, the premier defensive catcher in baseball, Charles
Johnson. Note how deftly he blocks the plate, how masterfully he
calls a game, how ruthlessly he guns down would-be base
stealers.
Just try and forget about the fact that, to quote Crash Davis,
he "couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a friggin’ boat."
Now scan the infield. See the playoff-tested and heavy hitting
Bobby Bonilla manning the hot corner. Check out the slick-fielding
duo of Eric Young and Jose Vizcaino up the middle. Feast your eyes
on first, where Eric Karros dwells.
And then, for the coup de grace, I want you to envision Randy
Johnson, 6 feet, 10 inches of pure fastball standing on the mound.
Check out the mustache and picture the stare that would make the
Ayatollah Khomeini blink (and that’s something special, because the
man is dead).
Envision that first 98 mile an hour fastball hurtling just a
little too far inside and scaring the bejesus out of some poor
batter.
For the best part, imagine him walking out, not in the tattered
garb of the Seattle Mariners, but in the gloried raiment of the Los
Angeles Dodgers.
If the Dodgers and the Mariners pull the trigger on the trade
that’s been on everyone’s mind, then all that’s left to think about
is what Johnson would bring to the Boys in Blue.
How about character, backbone, and unmatched intensity, all of
which the Dodger pitching staff sorely needs?
Oh yeah, there’s one more thing: the pennant.
Not the National League West pennant, I mean the National League
Championship pennant.
You heard it here first, friends. Put Randy Johnson at the top
of the Dodgers rotation, and you can put a trip to the World Series
on the schedule.
Sure it’s a bold statement, but Johnson is a once in a decade –
maybe once in a generation – type of pitcher.
The man intimidates the hell out of the opposition, he eats up
innings, he’s fun to watch and he wins under pressure. Stick that
in the rotation and you’ve got something special. National League
hitters wouldn’t know what to do with the guy, because there’s no
one else in the league with a presence like his.
Aside from being good for a win every fifth day, you can bet
Johnson would turn around that underachieving batch of pitchers the
Dodgers currently employ.
Let’s put aside the jolt of character that Johnson would bring
and look at the facts. When you’ve got a man who pitches like he
does, he can’t help but make the pitchers around him more
effective.
Without Randy Johnson pitching the day before him, there’s
absolutely no way that the Mariners’ Jamie Moyer is a 15-game
winner. The fact is, the day after facing the Big Unit, hitters are
so befuddled that any old junkballer could get an out.
Now, I can hear the nay-sayers whining, "But they’ll trade Hideo
Nomo!" I say, good riddance. There is absolutely no question that
Nomo isn’t nearly as effective as he was a few years ago, because
National League hitters have, quite simply, solved the Tornado.
Dumping Nomo is no big loss, believe me, when in return the Dodgers
get, and I want to be very clear about this … Randy Johnson!
Then there’s my other favorite: Ismael Valdes still hasn’t lived
up to his potential, so the Dodgers shouldn’t let him go.
Yes, the man hasn’t lived up to his potential, and that’s
exactly why L.A. should trade him. How many seasons of wimpy
pitching and excuses about untapped talent should the man receive?
If he goes to Seattle and flourishes, bully for him, because the
Dodgers will get, and I want everyone to understand this … Randy
Johnson!
If Fred Claire trades whatever handful of outfielders, of which
the Dodgers have plenty, and either of those two pitchers, I want
to hear no moaning and groaning, because this is the move that puts
L.A. over the top. It means the Dodgers are getting a Hall of
Fame-caliber pitcher who happens to be the most dominating pitcher
playing today. It means they’re getting a superstar who brings all
the benefits such a title allows.
It means that the Los Angeles Dodgers are getting Randy Johnson,
and it means that the Dodgers are going to the World Series.
Shapiro is a Daily Bruin staff writer and columnist. E-mail
responses to [email protected]
Mark Shapiro