Vin Scully Going For 61

The Dodgers have said that broadcaster Vin Scully will return for his 61st season. It is hard to beleive that Scully has been broadcasting for 60 years and is one of the longest tenured people in baseball in any capacity. He turned 82 on Sunday and entered the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Who needs Manny?

Last season, Andre Ethier claimed that Manny as lineup protection enabled him to see better pitches. The unquestionable demi-gods over at Baseball Prospectus claim otherwise. If the Dodgers do the smart thing and put Kemp in the batting order where he belongs (certainly not #7 in the order, behind Russell "most overrated catcher ever" Martin and James "overrated piece of shit who wishes he was Derrek Lee and proved so by hitting into 25 GIDP last season" Loney), their offense should be fine. If you don't believe me, compare the runs created projection (using Juan Pierre's 2008 batting line) with an efficient post-Manny lineup (5.05 runs per game) compared to the Dodger's Manny-infused lineup (5.65 runs per game). Sure, the team loses about one-half a run per game without Manny's power/on base in the offensive picture, but that can easily be compensated if you expect James Loney and Russell Martin to each slug above .310 this season and more efficiently organize the lineup card.

Funny Fact: The Dodgers batted Juan Pierre 9th last night, behind the pitcher Randy Wolf. According to ESPN, Juan Pierre has batted in the 9th spot more than any other player on the team, including everyone on the pitching staff.