Let's Try This Again-

It's been a while since I posted here. Needed a break, I guess. Girl Talk: You know when you just need a break from your BFF or your favorite Guy? When they are just grating your last nerve? Or maybe you just need a break from talking about how they grate your last nerve.... Ugh. It hurts to see something you love constantly make the same mistakes over and over and thus fail. Especially when they keep failing due to their own undoing. All you can do sometimes is just walk away, before they-or you- end up "fashion roadkill." (Carrie Bradshaw didn't even want to be out on that runway in the first place!) 

Doesn't mean you stop loving them, just means you need to take a walk for a breath of fresh air. Let's face it: Mattingly doesn't have a lot to work with. We have ONE Ace, Clayton Kershaw. Greinke isn't back to being himself, and Ryu depends too much on the Team to score (as ANY Pitcher should be entitled to expect but whatever). Our relief pitching is ridiculous. I honestly think the other teams cheer when we go to the bullpen. Our hitting is non-existent. Clearly Mattingly has been given a dud Team to manage. So is this whole disastrous season thus far entirely his fault? No way. OPINION ALERT: It's been a while since I posted one of these, but here goes: In my opinion, this whole mess of a season falls squarely on Ned Colletti's shoulders. He's the one who brought to life all these stupid contracts for relief Pitchers like Matt Guerrier and Brandon League. And when they don't produce, the Announcers scratch their heads (Shirley Temple!)

and sound perplexed and blame... Mattingly! Look, do I think Mattingly should shoulder some of the blame for us being in last place in the West? Sure. But then again, what about the Players?  And the coaches?? And where are all the bats the new Owners paid so dearly for? And since they aren't anywhere to be found, why isn't anyone looking for the batting coach? I'm the first to admit I was ecstatic when I heard we acquired McGwire as our batting coach. NEW GIRLS: In baseball world, Mark McGwire is often nick maned "Big Mac." However, now thinking about it, now I want McDonald's fries too. 

In any case, I am the first to admit I may have been a bit premature in my excitement. Getting a few men on base every now and again does NOT score runs... when they DON'T score runs! And what is Honeycutt doing lately? Kershaw is the only one we can consistently count on. But Clayton cannot win this season by himself! A little help please from the Owners would be appreciated right about now. Here's MY two cents of an opinion: Replace Colletti and McGwire  ASAP. Revamp the bullpen by calling up a few from AAA and replacing Paco and Matt and League- simply trade League-,  and as for starting pitching, send Greinke back to rehab a bit longer. Next, send Dee back down and call up Sellers again, switch the order of the line-up (Kemp seems to do better when he bats second), bat Ethier sixth, and start Van Slyke consistently- not wait till the eighth to pinch hit him- geesh! And he can bat fourth, clean up. And finally, for Pete's sake, call up Yasiel Puig! That guy can HIT! AND field! This should be good for starters. There. Oh and leave Mattingly right where he is. I say give him more time but new options. His rant on Wednesday was just what I wanted to hear: the honest-to-goodness-lay-it-out-on-the-line-truth. You cannot just throw the dollar bills around and expect to pat yourselves on the back with something resembling a group of Guys wearing the same shade of  Blue and call it a Team. We do best when we get them first. Look at Kershaw. And remember Beltre? Besides, we have always done best with Players we sculpt. We can't always do that of course, with the entire Team. Of course we need a few veterans- key Players and Team Leaders in the mix. But what I don't think Colletti seems to understand (and never has in my opinion) is that you can't watch a Player mature and thrive on another team for several seasons and then suggest a ridiculous contract AFTER the Player has peaked. So he courts (or has others do the work for him) soon to be has beens OR young one-hit-or-pitch-wonders, then the blame gets inevitably shifted to [most recently] Don Mattingly... when the experiments run their short little courses. There, I've said my piece, and the changes I would make if I had a choice are listed here. Again, my opinion. Take it or leave it. I just hope the Owners leave Don Mattingly in place to show what he COULD do if he were given half a chance with half a Team.