Juan Gone?

By Brant Brown

It seems as if someone finally put smelling salts under the noses of Dodgers officials. In this piece by Tony Jackson, there are rumblings that the Dodgers may have come to the dramatic realization that Juan Pierre does not deserve a starting role. While they may be handcuffed by his 5 year, $44 million contract (ladies and gentlemen: Ned Colletti) his frustratingly streaky offense and inept defense in no way justify consistent playing time. The alternative options of young and vigorous stallions Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier (no, not this Andre Ethier), are having fantastic springs. Does Pierre have any value on the bench? Unquestionably, no. The only situation in which it might be logical to bring Pierre in to pinch hit is if the Dodgers are down by a run or two and the pitcher's spot is leading off the inning. The man can't even be brought in as a defensive replacement. He cannot be counted on to provide a clutch hit in the late innings. The only reason his average ends up around .300 at the end of the season is because he never walks and ends up with nearly 700 ABs. Can you simply cut Pierre? No. Can you trade him? Not for much more than a low grade prospect. It's a dismal situation, and hopefully the Dodgers have the good sense to sit him in favor of a daily dose of Kemp and Ethier.

Angels
Well, the Angels gave up on the Bartolo Colon fat toad project. Now he moves over to the Red Sox, where reports say that he's throwing well. Granted, he'll probably only end up as a 5th starter or long reliever for the Sox, but don't you think the Angels wish they had him back? John Lackey is now out for what appears to be four weeks with a strained triceps. Prospect Nick Adenhart will get a shot at the rotation, but with the perennially unreliable health of Kelvim Escobar, and the sketchy effectiveness of Ervin Santana, the Angels rotation could quickly succumb to dire straits.

China
Last but not least, as a scant few of you may know, the Padres and Dodgers played a couple exhibition games in Beijing over the weekend, prompting a spat of "cultural genocide" after their first game ended in a 3-3 tie. That's West Coast baseball at it's finest.