Why the Mega Powers Dodgers Need to Start Panicking

Why the Mega Powers Dodgers Need to Start Panicking

 

 

 

It may be unfair of me to call the Dodgers the Mega Powers because well let’s face it Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage won championships, but the fact still remains, this team was put together with an open checkbook and built to win now. In this scenario, Frank McCourt will be playing the role of Macho Man Randy Savage. Hated, booed, and vilified by fans for their actions, but a face turn would change all that, or in McCourt’s case, having to sell the team. Fans loved the guy once they knew he would be out and unable to continue doing all he had done to run a storied franchise into the ground. Now enter Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the Hulk Hogan of Los Angeles. He could do no wrong, he walked on water, he was the fan favorite like no other and he was going to be the figurehead that was going to save the Dodgers. With the backing of the Guggenheim group this team was going to assemble a roster built to win World Series championships and take over baseball. They came out of the gates guns blazing. They traded for Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett in two separate blockbuster trades, not just because of the name power but also the required checks going to be required to pay these guys. The team would also open up the checkbooks for Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to ensure they stay in Dodger blue and in one final monumental move would sign Zack Greinke to a six year, $145 million dollar deal. These moves would push team payroll over $200 million for the 2013 season and show this team wasn’t kidding around when it came to spending to win. While all this was going on, staff ace, and arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw has yet to be signed to a new deal. With his stats, accomplishments, and a Justin Verlander contract as a basis, Kershaw will be paid by this team as well, really pushing that number for payroll up to great heights.

With everything completed and the team ready to start the season, the pressure would be on the Dodgers to perform to the levels of their contracts and get this team back not only to the postseason but to the World Series as well. A funny thing happened though on the way to all this. Hanley Ramirez injured his thumb during the WBC and would require surgery that would land him on the DL for the start of the season. Zack Greinke would break his collarbone during an altercation with Carlos Quentin of the Padres after hitting him with a pitch and Quentin deciding to charge the mound. Matt Kemp would decide to start the season batting .200 with no home runs thus far and only four walks. The pitching staff other than Kershaw is not performing well. They are giving up too many runs, and with a stagnant offense, that’s a recipe for disaster at least thus far. Finally, in addition to all the “star” players the team has, and its ability to spend like wildfire, they’ve done a poor job with the surrounding pieces. Giving guys like Nick Punto, Luis Cruz, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Skip Schumaker decent playing time when it may be too generous to call them even replacement level players is mind boggling. The Dodgers may well be on the road to implosion if the mediocrity keeps up and Kemp and Ethier can’t join Gonzalez and Crawford in the hitting parade and if Greinke when healthy and one other starter don’t step up and perform well.

With a 7-10 record thus far, already six games back of the division leading Rockies, the team is showing no signs of regrouping and making a run. In addition to the lead they need to overcome to catch Colorado, they have the Giants and Diamondbacks ahead of them as well. The same San Francisco Giants that have won two of the last three World Series and know how to weather the storm of a season, and a Diamondbacks team that has adopted the personality of its manager like no other team. Kirk Gibson was gritty, hard-nosed, and refused to go down without a fight and these DBacks have shown that same resolve thus far. Plus, if you listen to Eric Hinske, the Snakes have the best player in baseball in Martin Prado, so they have that going for them as well.

The Mega Powers imploded when Macho Man once again turned heel, and since Frank McCourt isn’t coming back into the fold we need another guy to step up and start yelling at Miss Elizabeth and causing turmoil. My vote is for Josh Beckett. He’s just prickly enough to fill the role and can easily be hated. I just hope no one orders fried chicken and an Xbox 360 to the clubhouse to speed the process along.