A View From Los Angeles: Have We Become the Yankees? - Joe Chacon's Blog

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Joe Chacon's Blog

A View From Los Angeles: Have We Become the Yankees? Stuck

Posted on August 25, 2012 at 02:05 PM.

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Photo Credit: ESPN

The wave of momentum regarding the possibility of bringing Adrian Gonzalez to the Los Angeles Dodgers started to become more of a reality as Friday continued.

Forget about Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto. Dodger fans are about to get the elite first baseman they've been clamoring for ever since they realized James Loney really is a .250 hitter with very little power by first baseman standards.

Loney, on all accounts, is a very good person. He is one of the nice guys in the league and appears to be surrounded by a very good family. He plays great defensively and to be honest I've been pulling for him to be good offensively for the past few years. Not even great -- just good. Unfortunately, every time he comes to the plate in a clutch situation Dodger fans (myself included) have had absolutely zero faith in him succeeding.

It appears this deal will be completed today. The Boston Red Sox, in a massive salary dumpy, will send Gonzalez, Crawford, Beckett, and Punto to the Dodgers for Loney, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Jerry Sands, and Ivan De Jesus.

Here is where I'm conflicted. I've always had a sense of, I don't know, hate isn't the word...disgust with the New York Yankees for being able to sign anybody they want. It has appeared from over here in Southern California that General Manager Brian Cashman has a blank check without any concern for the total payroll on the books.

So have the Dodgers become the Yankees? Is the new ownership going to take the city to the promised land by writing checks instead of relying on home grown talent as they have in the past?

It appears that way, and I'm really not sure how to receive it. On one hand we've been clamoring to have ownership to do whatever it takes to field a championship caliber team. On the other hand we've been ripping apart teams like the Yankees and Red Sox for essentially buying their teams.

I know I'm in the minority when I say this, but I'd rather have a relatively competitive team with a remote chance of winning the World Series as long as they are out there playing hard. Teams like this can usually get through each season without a bunch of egos colliding that cause feuds and other drama on a weekly basis. I enjoy having to "only" pay $10 for parking, and I would like to see the concession prices at the stadium start to scale back a bit. I enjoy seeing our guys rise up through the farm system and pulling for them to earn a spot on the roster during spring training.

Perhaps I'm already too old school at the ripe age of 31. Perhaps I should stop living with the memories of 1992-1996 when the Dodgers had five straight Rookie of the Year winners with Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Hideo Nomo, and Todd Hollandsworth.

Building through the farm system used to mean developing players so they could contribute on the major league level. Now those minor league players are just developed with the intention of being advertised to other teams.

The Dodgers are certainly clearing some inventory today.

Joe Chacon is a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

Comments

# 1 oliveira311 @ Aug 25

I've been a Sox fan for years and I haven't been more excited now that Beckett is gone. I felt bad for Crawford because he didn't get a fair shake with the injuries. However, he was stupidly overpaid. Lost a ton of respect for A-Gonz going to upper management to tell on his manager. Great player but be wary of his lack of power.

Glad the Sox are getting rid of these entitled athletes and hopefully taking the steps to regaining credibility. No more Sweet Caroline. Just baseball baby.

# 2 Jakeness23 @ Aug 25

I'm not really a huge baseball fan (I pull for the Braves and watch them occasionally) but I am a sports fan and I know how you feel about having guys mature and play through the system and work hard, etc. As a Bobcats fan, I fully understand it, because we have a very young team now and I like seeing how they progress and how their aren't really any egos (except Tyrus Thomas who we need to amnesty SOON) and they play hard. Guys like Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker is what makes basketball special to me.
However, I have also been a LA Lakers fan since I was in 4th grade (I saw Kobe play once and have been a huge fan of his and the Lakers ever since) so I'm kind of guilty of liking the "bought" team. But the way I see it is, the GMs (for the Lakers and the Dodgers) are trying to put out the best team that they can possibly field together and you can't hate them for that. Who wants to see the team they own lose? I like to think they are thinking of the fans because they want to put out a product that they will enjoy and they are willing to pay to see so I like what the Dodgers and Lakers have done. I mean, at least the GMs and owners are showing they actually care about their teams, ya know?

# 3 lunaoso @ Aug 25

@oliveira311- As a sox fan I feel the same way. I'm glad that Beckett is gone, but I like Crawford and Gonzalaz and wanted to keep them. How did we go from World Series favorites to this. Ugh...

# 4 THE YAMA @ Aug 26

As a Rays fan, I'm impartial about this trade. Yes I like it because I hate the Red Sox and would love to see them lose every game. But then again we are fighting for a World Series this year and the Dodgers have just become stacked!

# 5 dodgerblue @ Aug 26

I hear you Joe. As a lifelong Dodger fan who is old enough to remember the great years of the late 70's and 80's I never think you can buy a championship. One or two players yes, but it's hard to turn the team over except for Kershaw, Bills, Kemp and Ethier and still be a cohesive unit. I am excited, and this is better than the last two years but I would rather win with home grown talent

# 6 TreyIM2 @ Aug 26

@ Jakeness23 - I'm in the same boat with you, but I consider myself a Yankees fan in baseball and in basketball, I'm a Nets fan, first and foremost yet I'm a fan of other teams including the Heat, Knicks, OKC, Lakers and Clippers. I spouted when there was a post about the Lakers "buying a title". I think it's a ridiculous notion and I agree that the teams that have the money, such as my Yankees, can get players which is APART OF THE GAME, why shouldn't they use their bank to try to get who they consider the best for their situations to try to be the best teams? Isn't that the name of the game??

And, to boot, this is only just on paper. They still gotta show and prove. I may become a bit of Dodger fan because of Magic J being part owner, anywayz. Lol

# 7 rudeworld @ Aug 26

LOL.... The Dodgers have always trying to be the Yankees ever since they stole them from Brooklyn... have they achieve this with the trade maybe? but they still need more consistency, and oh yeah.... MORE CHAMPIONSHIPS.... and also don't forget (know it's was only a little more then a season and a half) Boston didn't win anything with the quartet they gave LA.... and Boston had a better team (better pitching staff and line-up).... MAYBE? I think NOT!!!!

# 8 keator @ Aug 29

and dont forget the Dodgers record against the Yankee's in the world series. LA has a loooonnnggggg way to go before they are in the same league as the pin stripes