More Dodger Hating

By Josh Elwell

After watching Randy Wolf blaze through the Dodgers’ lineup last night, it’s only appropriate to remind everyone how bad this team actually is. Oh, and I have no reservations providing a critique of the Dodgers, as an unabashed Padre fan. You, the reader, shouldn’t either.

When Dodgers GM Ned Colletti was asked whether or not he would deal any of his core youngsters for ‘proven veteran strength,’ his response was: “If we get to the point where we can definitively improve ourselves, we'll do it." Thanks, Captain Obvious! Corporal Duh! Major No Shit! The only problem I see is that trading highly sought after young players is rarely the way to “definitively improve” your team.

Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and James Loney could all be monsters within the next two years. Patience, Ned, patience. There’s a reason L.A. hasn’t won more than one playoff game in the past 20 years and it has to do with one thing: veterans. (Okay, maybe a few other things, but for the sake of this article -- one thing only!)

Let's face it, the Dodgers have a great team on paper every year, and every year they fall short. History has taught me not to worry about the Dodgers being a true competitor. On paper they look fine, because they load themselves with overpaid veterans. Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones, Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent are just a few of the names deluding Dodger fans enough to think they’re capable of winning the pennant.

For Colletti to think he needs another overpriced veteran is silly. That’s the only word that describes it -- silly. L.A. fans are impatient and want to see quick results. As a Padre fan, spending ridiculous amounts of money on players is a foreign concept to me. My idea of a big trade is Josh Barfield for Kevin Kouzmanoff & Andrew Brown -- with Brown being flipped for Milton Bradley. A big signing is when Greg Maddux signs for the last contract of his career.

Comparing the two mentalities, I’d rather have the mid-market moves of Alderson & co. Not only do multiple big contracts give a fan false hopes, it sets your team back if the player is a flop. (See Jones, Andruw. And Garciaparra, Nomar.)

My hope is that the little moves the Padres make can pay off big in the future. Sure, it may take awhile, but rebuilding a team is a big process and the Padres have never had the luxury of rebuilding with that many resources. The question for Ned Colletti shouldn’t be which young guys to get rid of; it should be which expensive contracts should be dumped.

If you have any question about which mentality serves a team best, ask yourself this question: Which of the two was the last team to make the World Series? Oh yeah, the Padres. Bite me.